With Special Guest
by Lucinda
Summary: Cordelia gets a guest appearance on a television series... Galaxy Quest. Main Characters: Cordelia, Willow, Alex Dane
1. parts 1 to 6

author: Lucinda   
  
rating: pg 13.   
  
main characters: Willow, Cordelia, Alex Dane   
  
pairings: hints of Cordelia/Jason Nesmith, Willow/Alex Dane, Gwen DeMarco/Angel   
  
disclaimer; I own nobody from Buffy/Angel or from Galaxy Quest. There may be a few minor original characters.   
  
distribution: Bite Me, WLS, NHA, Twisting the Hellmouth, anyone else please ask, I'll probably say yes.   
  
dedicated to Rose, who I blame for the idea.   
  
note: AU post season 6ish for BtVS, AU season 2ish for Angel. Tara split with Willow and left town. Willow resurrected Buffy who was rather cold and doing naughty things with Spike. Willow felt left out, unappreciated and very hurt by Buffy's reaction to her resurrection, so she moved to LA. Darla stayed dead. Post Galaxy Quest the Movie.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Willow shook her head, trying to figure out how her life had become so entirely strange. She lived in Los Angeles now, in room two seventeen of the hotel Hyperion, owned by Angel. The place was beautiful, even though parts of it still needed restoration and serious repairs. Instead of paying the traditional cash or check rent, she helped in the general fighting of evil and helping the hopeless, lending her computer skills and the occasional magic.   
  
Most of her spells even worked exactly as they were supposed to now. Her major ones, like when she'd resurected Buffy and excorcised the evil demon ghost from the new base of Gunn's friends had gone perfectly. Her blessing intended to protect the coffee maker from Cordelia... had gone less smoothly.   
  
Yes, she was essentially living with Cordelia Chase, her one time nemisis, Wesley Wyndham-Price formerly the stuffiest stiffest shape of a person she'd ever seen, Fred who had a gift for physics and invention that left Willow in awe, and Angel the souled vampire. None of this was anything like how she'd pictured her life being at twenty. Well, except for the not living in Sunnydale anymore part.   
  
Now, she was waiting for Cordelia to come back from an audition for a part on a television series. Maybe then she could actually get Cordy to tell her what she'd actually been auditioning for anyhow. Realistically, she knew that if her friend got a part, she'd find herself watching the show, just so that she could offer Cordelia the encouragement, but it would be so much better if it was something enjoyable.   
  
Bored, she flipped on the television, putting it onto the SciFi channel since there wasn't anyone here to argue with her at the moment. There was currently a show on about aliens living in Roswell, New Mexico. Willow sighed, settling into the chair as she tried to pick up the storyline and figure out who all the characters were. Then, there was the regularly scheduled commercial break with the delightfully bizarre commercials that SciFi was well known for.   
  
Then came a commercial that made her sit up and grin with delight. Galaxy Quest, shown Thursday nights at ten pacific. She felt like leaping with joy. She'd caught a few episodes of that, and had enjoyed them imensely. But every time she found it, it was shortly before it would be rescheduled. She'd only caught a handful of the new episodes, and about two dozen of the original series... It was such a nice thing that it had the same core characters this time around, played by the same actors.   
  
She'd always liked the show. Her favorite character had always been Dr. Lazarus, the guy who saved people by being smarter, rather than blasting them. She's wanted to like Tawny Madison, seeing as she'd been the only consistant female character, but she'd just seemed so... well, what did she do besides look pretty and be someone for Taggert to flirt with between planets? She seemed to have a lot more to do in the newer series. Willow smiled as she settled back to watch.   
  
It ended with the dramatic distress call of a small trading vessel, making Willow realize that this had to be a rerun, she remembered seeing the episode where Taggert saved the Space-Merchant - plus the mandatory pretty yet exotic daughter, from a landslide while his engineering staff had made some repairs to their ship. Taggert seemed almost like a man-slut, going from woman to woman to female... And they always fell for it.   
  
She heard the door shut, and the tapping of Cordelia's heels on the floor as she walked across the marble inlaid floors. Smiling, Willow made her way over to meet her friend, certain from Cordelia's smile that something had gone well.   
  
"Hey... everything go well?"   
  
Cordelia gave a happy squeal and hugged Willow with more force than her elegant appearance would imply she even possessed. "I got the part! I got the part!"   
  
"Wonderful! Now, who are you going to be and on what? You didn't actually tell me before you left." Willow smiled, enjoying Cordelia's happiness.   
  
Cordelia paused, looking at Willow. "I didn't? But I thought... no, that must have been Wesley. I get to be a princess... well, an alien princess in some science fiction show... but still, a princess. I think it's called Galaxy hunt or search..." She pulled out a crumpled paper, and unfolded it. "Right, Galaxy Quest."   
  
Willow's jaw dropped. "Galaxy Quest? With Gwen DeMarco and Alex Dane and Jason Nesmith? Galaxy Quest with the ship Protector? You're going to be on Galaxy Quest? That's great!"   
  
"Which one's the cute but arrogant captain Taggert? I have an onscreen kiss with him..." Cordelia looked amused by Willow's reaction.   
  
"That's Jason Nesmith. His character is like that, always flirting with the ladies. Maybe I can go over there with you for the shooting..." Willow had the feeling that she was getting a far away look in her eyes.   
  
"I guess I'm the girl of the episode then. Hey, it's not too bad, and maybe there's a chance of it becoming recurring... I can hope." Cordelia sounded almost philosophical.   
  
end part 1.   
  
  
  
"I hope he's not reverting to the old version of himself." Gwen's soft voice caught the attention of her co-star, Alex Dane.   
  
He looked at her, attempting to remove the last of the make-up that transformed him into Dr. Lazarus, the Tev'Meck medical advisor of the Protector. "Why do you say that? I must have missed it."   
  
"They've picked someone for the Princess... and he was growling about her. Something about a conceited, disrespectful aspiring actress with a sharp tongue. But apparently they look good on camera together." Gwen's voice held a bit of worry.   
  
Alex frowned a bit, remembering how much it had irritated everyone forced into contact with Jason Nesmith when he'd been in his 'arrogant phase'. The period of time after the series had been canceled, but before the Thermians. He'd become a rampant egomaniac. "Perhaps, or maybe she just has a personality that grates against him? We'll have to keep an eye on him."   
  
"On a different note, I got the revised scripts. It seems that Tawny gets a secret admirer - someone silhouetted watching her, and little presents. Also looks like her admirer is Laz." She smiled, eyes twinkling at the idea. She'd been thinking for a while that it would be nice to have Tawny involved in something other than sighing after Taggert.   
  
"Laz is Tawny's secret admirer now? Are you sure that they'll keep that? I've been trying to get a bit more emotion for him for a long time now." Alex was smiling, his mind envisioning the possibility of having significant screen time, and a decent sub-plot for Laz. As a bonus, it was always a delight to have screen time with Gwen.   
  
She grinned, running her hand through her blond hair, sighing as she sat beside him. "I really hope so. You're great to work with, never get the characters emotions mixed up with yours, and if Tawny's with Laz, she's not being all dewy eyed at Taggert."   
  
"So... a secret admirer for Tawny. Let me see, is dear old Laz verging on stalker hood? Or perhaps he's simply decided that there are some interesting things to see right there on the Protector..." Alex looked hopeful as he flipped through the script. Character development was good. Better still, it would give him a chance to familiarize himself with the script before they started it.   
  
He'd just gotten to the part that was having Laz/unidentified figure slipping out of Tawny's room when there was a crashing noise and all of the lights suddenly went out.   
  
"Not again! What could it be this time? That's the second power failure this week." Gwen sounded a bit nervous, and rather unhappy.   
  
Alex sighed as he closed the scrpt. He couldn't even see the pages, and Gwen was just a not quite black shape in the darkness. "I'm not sure... last time they said it had to do with the fuse box. But Surely they would have fixed that."   
  
Something brushed against his shoulder, and for a moment, he felt himself tense as he tried to figure out what was touching him. But it was Gwen's hand. "Alex? Were there a lot of cables between here and the door to the parking lot? I'm feeling the need for some fresh air."   
  
Alex held Gwen's arm as they very slowly made their way to the door. It was the most unsettling thing, but he was certain that there were eyes on him, someone or maybe something watching him. Something nasty and dangerous, lurking in the dark, hidden and free to do anything that it wanted... It was with extreme relief that he found the door, opening it and letting in the bright afternoon sunlight. He and Gwen both stepped outside, breathing deep sighs.   
  
"There's... there really isn't anything watching us in there, is there?" Gwen's voice was a soft plea for reasurrance.   
  
He glanced back into the darkness, uncertainty dancing inside of him. But, logically, how could there be something there that hadn't been there when the lights had been on? "Why would there be something watching us? Surely it was just our imaginations running away with us."   
  
But Alex wasn't quite certain about that. He was certain he'd felt someone watching him, and apparently so was Gwen. But it must have been a camera man, or maybe a stagehand. Right?   
  
"Everything will be better in the morning. Why don't we just go have something to eat and relax for a bit? Fred and Lilairi brought a few things along today, maybe there's some of that Aldorian truffle left." He still had his hand on Gwen's arm, as if the simple reminder that he wan't alone would make everything feel more normal.   
  
"Alex, you know there isn't really Aldorian Truffle..." Her smile let him know that she knew he was trying to distract her and appreciated the gesture.   
  
He leaned close, and with a wicked grin he whispered "The Thermians didn't know that. And you love the truffle."   
  
end part 2.   
  
  
  
Cordelia was excited. Today, she started her rehersal for her television appearance on Galaxy Quest. Willow had told her quite a bit about the show, getting this dreamy eyed look when she talked about 'Dr. Lazarus'. She'd have to see what the guy was like. Personally, she'd thought the guy she was in the scene with, Jason Nesmith was pretty good looking... in an entirely too arrogant, self centered smug sort of way.   
  
She would be a guest actor on a television series... one that had a definite fan base in certain circles. A series fan base meant the chance for a fan base for Cordelia Chase, and fans meant more jobs that actually paid. Not that she minded helping people, but... was it wrong to want a few nice things occasionally?   
  
Looking around, she found that the set seemed to have something going on near the rear door, some of the camera people were scurrying, and there was what her Sunnydale experience told her was supressed panic from the people who seemed to have authority. Something wasn't going right. She just hoped that it was something simple and mundane and normal. She had a vague sinking feeling that it wasn't a 'normal' problem.   
  
She then felt someone bump into her, and with a small turn, she saw that it was Gwen DeMarco, the female lead of the show. "Hey... umm, what's going on over there?"   
  
"Something's wrong with the computer that controls the lighting over there. One of the techs said he was worried about a computer virus... Only we're already pushing the repair budget pretty hard for the fact that it's for the whole month."   
  
Cordelia sighed. "There was a time when I would have asked why a computer would need to worry about a virus when it's a machine... But I have a room mate now who's probably forgotten more about computers than I'll ever know. She knows all about viruses and programs. And she'd probably charge less than whoever they normally call out. I can probably get her on my cell phone and have her over here in under an hour."   
  
Gwen smiled, and put one hand on Cordelia's elbow, towing her along towards the knot of unhappy people. "Wonderful. We'll just tell Marty and he'll ask you to have her pop over, and then everyhing will be working again. We might actually be able to stay on schedule."   
  
Really, it wasn't much more complicated than that. Willow had made this squeak of excitement, insisting that she'd be there and ready to go in under an hour. Cordelia had shaken her head, certain that Willow's enthusiasm had a bit to do with one Alexander Dane, rather than the possibility of a paycheck.   
  
"Are you ready to reherse, 'Princess'? If so, we should go to one of the less cluttered areas." Nesmith's voice had a lazy drawl to it, the sort that called up memories of some half remembered handsome western star she'd seen at her Grandma's house as a litle girl. But the confidence he had... part of her wanted to say that it was because he knew he was good at what he did, and part of her wanted to say he was an arrogant jerk.   
  
Cordelia gave him a far too sweet smile. "Anytime, 'Captain Taggert'. Just lead the way, and I'll be there."   
  
"It's not Captain, it's Commander." He was giving her this look, as if he couldn't quite believe that she had gotten his character's title wrong.   
  
Cordelia concealed a smile. Honestly, didn't anyone try to deflate this guy's ego occasionally? She knew exactly what the title of his character was. She'd just said it wrong to annoy him. It made his eyes sparkle.   
  
So, she began rehearsing her scene with Taggert talking to the Princess. Apparently his ship needed some rare natural mineral for their systems to work and her planet had that exact resource. She grinned at the phrasing... 'her planet. Her planet. HER planet.' It had a nice ring to it.   
  
Nesmith's character was a lot like him, over confident, convinced of his charm and appeal, and maybe a bit impulsive. And her character was supposed to fall for it. Hmmm... what else was there? Oh, 'strong warrior tradition among her people' did that mean she would be a warrior princess, or would she be surrounded by a hunky bodyguard or two?   
  
But if she were honest with herself, three years ago, she would have been all over a guy like that. After all, he was good looking, confident, had social manners, and he looked pretty well off. The old her, the Queen C would have grabbed for him. AS it was, she... well, she was torn between the urge to kiss him breathless or slap him, which she didn't want to do for the continuation of her job.   
  
Yeah, he had a definite appeal to her inner material girl, but... She was stronger than that. She didn't have to give in to these urges. When they came to the scripted kiss as a sign of their deal, it practically sizzled, and she heard some definite comments from a few onlookers. What did it hurt if she was just following the script?   
  
She could enjoy this part quite a lot at this rate. He was a good kisser. And she hadn't enjoyed arguing this much with someone in a long time.   
  
end part 3.   
  
  
  
Willow sighed yet again as she tried to explain to the security guard that no, she was not some random fan trying to get onto the set. She had been asked to come here to deal with a computer problem. No, she did not know exactly what was wrong with the computer, she hadn't seen it yet. No, she did not have any cameras of any sort with her. No, she was not a reporter of any sort.   
  
"Actually, John, I do think we were expecting someone for some computer repairs. Marty's about to give himself a hernia trying to scream the computer into obedience." The voice belonged to a woman, and a quick glance revealed it to be Tawny Madison... er, the actress who played her at any rate. She was still in her uniform, holding a stack of papers in one arm.   
  
With that minor miracle of timing, Willow found herself admitted. She was now officially on the set of Galaxy Quest, which was entirely cool. She tried to keep her expression from betraying her excitement. Even so, she found herself looking around, recognizing the various sets as some of the rooms on the Protector.   
  
"You've watched the show?" Her voice was a bit amused.   
  
Feeling herself blush, Willow nodded. "When I can... the local stations keep rescheduling it. Makes it hard to watch, you know. Umm.... I should be asking what's wrong with the computer, but... would it be terribly rude to ask what's planned for the show?"   
  
"It's the computer that controls the lighting systems for the sets, and I really have no idea how it does that. My character may talk to computers, but I don't. As for the show..." Ms. DeMarco gave a small smile, and looked around before leaning in and giving a small whisper "I finally get a sub-plot that doesn't involve the computer or Taggert. It gets kicked off in the same episode that has your friend appearing."   
  
Willow was walking with Ms DeMarco, attempting to remember her name. 'And as Lt. Tawny Madison.. yes, Gwen.' She gave a small smile as the name clicked into place. "That sounds really good. Does it involve... ummm, never mind. Do you think you'll enjoy it?"   
  
Soon, Willow was entrenched near the computer, vaguely aware that Cordelia was either rehearsing with Nesmith or having an arguement punctuated by occasional kisses. The panels were opened, and she was inspecting the inner workings of the computer system. The more she looked, the less happy she became. It was starting to look less and less like something had just died and more like someone had... well, sabotaged the system.   
  
She felt someone looming behind her, which was actually pathetically simple to do, considering that she was semi scrunched on the floor. She twisted slightly, trying to look at who was there, a small part of her hoping that it wasn't some horrible, nasty... wait, this was LA, not Sunnydale. It was most likely someone from the cast or crew. Her head banged into the metal casing, briefly making her see swirls and spots of intense blue gold color.   
  
He looked incredibly tall, with nice shoulders. He was wearing the uniform of one of the Protector, with insignia that looked familiar. His light brown hair almost brushed his collar, and his eyes were filled with interest as he looked at her. There was something about him that seemed oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite place him.   
  
She gave a tiny wiggle of her fingers and a tentative smile. "Hi.. I'm Willow Rosenberg, and I'm supposed to help the computer get better."   
  
He smiled at her, and the expression changed his features from near intimidating to delightful. "I'm glad that someone can make something of it."   
  
His voice just seemed to slip right inside and make parts of her quiver with... well, they quivered. "You're Alex Dane." Realizing how stupidly obvious that must have sounded, she blushed, debating crawling back into the system. "I mean, of course you are, and you know exactly who you are, but you look a lot different out of the makeup and with hair and all, not that you're in any danger of loosing your hair, because it looks really good, but... oh dear, I'm babbling... sorry? I'm delighted to meet you."   
  
"Always nice to meet someone who recognizes me. But you're right, I do look a bit different as Dr Lazarus. Somehow, you aren't quite what I'd expected from an associate of Ms Chase." His voice was doing that thing again, the sort of velvety almost tangible rolling over her that almost made her want to roll over and purr.   
  
She was almost tempted to ask for the ground to open up and swallow her right about now. "It's your voice... really distinctive. In a good way."   
  
"So... what happened to the computer?" He was grinning at her, and Willow could feel her insides turning all mushy and sticky.   
  
She ducked her head slightly, almost wishing that she could still hide behind her hair. "Well, a couple of the wires seem to have come loose, and there's a chip that's umm.. rather dead, possibly beyond repair. A couple of the others came loose... I can get it functioning again in about an hour, but I'd rather run a diagnostic and make sure there aren't any internal problems in the software..."   
  
He looked at her for a few moments before giving a slight shake of his head, as if he'd become lost in thought for a moment. "I'd suggest running the diagnostic just in case. Today's already shot for filming."   
  
"Yeah... I suppose so. Maybe someone can ask Security to make sure they keep an eye on the computers... I'm sort of thinking out loud, I guess. I think some of this was deliberate effort to kill the computer."   
  
"That's horrible? Who would do such a thing, this computer makes our paychecks happen!" The man couldn't have been any taller than Willow, and he probably didn't weigh more than half again her weight, if that. Lean and almost gangly, there were grey hairs and a few wrinkles around the eyes and the corners of his mouth. "I'm Marty. You're hired for as long as this is giving us problems."   
  
Alex looked back at her, leaving her pulse racing and her head spinning from another of those amazing smiles. "Welcome aboard, Willow."   
  
end part 4   
  
  
  
Gwen had mentioned with relief that Cordelia's friend the computer person had arrived and was working on the computer, a small smile dancing in her eyes the whole time. He knew her well enough to know that she found something interesting and amusing about all of this. He felt a moment's temptation to ask her what was so amusing, but didn't.   
  
"Maybe I should go see if she's found anything then." He'd been wondering a little what sort of room mate the aspiring actress would have. Maybe someone quiet and shy, rather nondescript and plain, the type who would be a stablyzing influence on an actress.   
  
He had just about convinced himself that this Willow would be nobody particularly memorable when he arrived at the computer, seeing it opened up with a medium sized toolbox open beside it, with odd stickers at angles on the sides. One said 'Of Course I don't Look Busy, I Did it Right the First Time', while others were a picture of a stylized willow tree, a cresent moon and star, and it looked like there were stickers for a few televison series. He could see one for the X-Files, and one that he couldn't place with a scowling pale man with short hair labeled LaCroix.   
  
For a few moments, he stood there, staring at a pair of green canvas sneakers and legs loosely encased in faded blue jeans. How did he ask if she was making progress without possibly causing any further problems?   
  
It turned out that his worry was needless. She twisted, obviously trying to see who was standing there, knocking her head against part of the casing in the process. She sat there, looking up at him, blinking slightly as her fingers touched her head. She gave a small fingerwave with her other hand, and a small smile that lit up her eyes, whick looked rather green, possibly enhanced by the green of her shirt, which skimmed over her body. She was quite pretty, and with that bright red hair, not at all easy to forget.   
  
"Hi... I'm Willow Rosenberg, and I'm supposed to help the computer get better." Her voice was soft, as if she was nervous. But it ws a pleasant voice, and he found himself smiling as she introduced herself.   
  
"I'm glad that someone can make something of it." Part of his mind cringed, certain that he'd just said something abundantly obvious.   
  
"You're Alex Dane." Her eyes had practically lit up when he spoke, and then she blushed, going this delightlful shade of pink. "I mean, of course you are, and you know exactly who you are, but you look a lot different out of the makeup and with hair and all, not that you're in any danger of loosing your hair, because it looks really good, but... oh dear, I'm babbling... sorry? I'm delighted to meet you."   
  
He had no idea how she'd said all of that in a single breath. The light in her eyes... it made him feel warm inside for reasons that he wasn't certain he wanted to look into. "Always nice to meet someone who recognizes me. But you're right, I do look a bit different as Dr Lazarus. Somehow, you aren't quite what I'd expected from an associate of Ms Chase."   
  
"It's your voice... really distinctive. In a good way."   
  
"So... what happened to the computer?" He was grinning at her, part of his mind wondering how much thought she'd put into it to recognize his voice. How many episodes had she watched, how many of the other assorted small roles that he'd managed to be cast in had this redhead watched?   
  
She ducked her head slightly, her hair falling forward, not quite obscuring her face. Her words held a great deal more confidence when she spoke about the computer. "Well, a couple of the wires seem to have come loose, and there's a chip that's umm.. rather dead, possibly beyond repair. A couple of the others came loose... I can get it functioning again in about an hour, but I'd rather run a diagnostic and make sure there aren't any internal problems in the software..."   
  
He found himself picturing her in the sunlight, on a beach, the ocean spray dampening her sundress, a smile on her face and her eyes sparkling... Suddenly annoyed with himself, he shook his head, insisting to himself that he did not need to indulge in some decadent beach fantasy about this woman. "I'd suggest running the diagnostic just in case. Today's already shot for filming."   
  
Her eyes seemed to focus on something in the distance, but her slender russet brows dipped slighlty, marking her as being lost in thought, not the contemplation of something behind him. "Yeah... I suppose so. Maybe someone can ask Security to make sure they keep an eye on the computers... I'm sort of thinking out loud, I guess. I think some of this was deliberate effort to kill the computer."   
  
"That's horrible. Who would do such a thing, this computer makes our paychecks happen!" The man couldn't have been any taller than Willow, and he probably didn't weigh more than half again her weight, if that. Lean and almost gangly, there were grey hairs and a few wrinkles around the eyes and the corners of his mouth. "I'm Marty. You're hired for as long as this is giving us problems." Marty was there, his voice full of indignant shock. He was apparently convinced of her talent, and was offering to keep her there...   
  
For some reason, the idea of her staying was nice. Alex looked back at her, smiling as he looked over her smooth cheek and delighted eyes, seeing just a hint of her tongue between her teeth... Perhaps the idea of her staying gave him a bit too warm of a feeling. "Welcome aboard, Willow."   
  
He was still smiling as he walked away, a disobedient corner of his mind attempting to picture her in a swimsuit, her body glistening with water, or laying in a meadow of wild flowers, smiling up at him, lips swollen from kisses... She was definitely someone to remember. Hopefully, she could keep everything working properly so that they could get the filming done. A part of him almost wondered if there would be a way to get her on camera, thus forcing her to stay around longer... Hmmm, wasn't the Princess supposed to have an entourage? Maybe someone could talk Willow into that.   
  
end part 5.   
  
  
  
  
  
Cordelia felt wonderful. She had a part, her rehersals were going well, and Nesmith was a great kisser. Maybe they hadn't needed to practice the kiss as much as the lines, but... well, she wanted everything to go right. And he was cute in a ruggedly handsome sort of way. Arrogant, self centered, domineering... all of that, but handsome. And she didn't care, really she didn't. She was only going to be here for a little while, and then it would be back to looking for her next acting job. Glancing at the page of script in her hand, she noticed that her character had an entourage. "I wonder what sort of entourage the princess of a planet gets on this series anyhow?"   
  
She almost collided with Gwen, who was smiling at Alex Dane. He looked... well, he looked as if he was taking a mental vacation from work in order to have some private little fantasy. From the surprised expression on Gwen's face, it wasn't exactly ordinary behavior for him. She felt a moment of envy, not only did he have the job security that he felt that he could geta way with flights of fantasy on set, but he had the sort of life that let him. No rampaging demons, no fear of vampires attacking or the end of the world... Their lives must be so much easier and safer.   
  
"Umm, Gwen... Miss DeMarco... I was trying to figure something out... Maybe you can help me here?" Part of her winced, thinking she sounded almost like she was sucking up, but another part insisted that she had to be polite to the more experienced actors and crew that could help or hurt her possible future employment.   
  
Gwen DeMarco turned, smiling in amusement. "What did you want to find out? More ways to deflate the ego of 'Captain' Taggert?"   
  
Smiling as she thought back to her years as the snob-queen of Sunnydale, Cordelia smiled. "No, I think I can deal with his ego, considering that I'm only here for a while. I was just... it mentions an entourage, and I'm wondering what that's going to actually mean, you know? Where do I try to learn about that? Do I have ladies in waiting, or bodyguards, or advisors... and they never did actually mention what sort of wardrobe I... umm... the Princess gets."   
  
"Talk to Benny... he's the one who wrote the script. If you need a lady in waiting or an advisor, maybe you can have Willow. She's already here, and shouldn't throw a fit about any possible electronics problems."   
  
Cordelia smiled, wondering if there was a reason why Mr. Dane of the amazing voice had been so quick to suggest Willow. Maybe it was because she was here, and trying to fix the computers, but... what if it wasn't? What if he'd decided that he wanted a little Willowy goodness? With a careful eye, she gave an evaluation, deciding that he'd look good with Willow, and maybe he could appreciate her. And if he broke her heart, Willow could hex him into next Tuesday.   
  
It turned out that Benny was one of their two main scriptwriters, and Gwen was on her way over to ask about a few points in a later script, so she said that she'd introduce her. Gwen was all excited about a sub plot that would give her a secret admirer leaving presents. Cordelia had smiled, thinking that there was nothing wrong with Gwen's character getting an admirer, and presents, and maybe a few smoochies.   
  
After a bit of deliberation, it was decided that she should have a nonthreatening entourage, the better to give an impression of the planet as a non danger. There would be an older advisior, probably male, and a lady in waiting of some sort, preferably pretty. Gwen had smiled as she'd mentioned Willow, and Cordelia had snickered, thinking back to the talentless show their senior year. Hadn't Willow had stage fright? This should get interesting...   
  
After a few questions about who Willow was, Cordelia spotted her friend over by one of the support columns, holding a cup of coffee talking with one of the technicians, gesturing at the lights overhead. "That's Willow over there, the red head."   
  
Benny looked, and nodded. "Pretty enough, looks non-threatening, and hmm... most likely they'll put her in one of the gowns like your character, only with less jewelry. Ankle length ivory, with split sleeves. Why don't you talk to her and see if she'd be interested? Assuming that the lights work right to start filming again tomorrow..."   
  
Cordelia smiled as she made her way over to Willow, hearing her friend asking some questions on the special effects make up, and exactly how did they get Alex's hair to all vanish for his character?   
  
"Hey, Willow? Do you think the computer will be ready tomorrow? Seems there's a bit of anxiety to get things going again... And I get an entourage! Oh, do you want to be my handmaiden? I get a handmaiden, and a long dress... This is great!" She was almost bouncing with excitement.   
  
Willow looked at her, her face paling. "Me? But... your handmaiden will be in the scene with you... as in in front of the camera! I have stage fright."   
  
"Well, that's sort of the whole point, having someone in front of the camera with me. It'll be fun, just picture it, a long pale gown, sparkling fake jewels, impressive background..." She started to imagine it, picturing herself graciosly receiving her visitors, elegantly seated on a small throne, diamonds and emeralds sparkling on her jewelry... The visiting crew members and Commander Taggert bowing before her...   
  
"I never aspired to be a handmaiden of the Queen C. What makes this better?" Willow had a small smile, and there was only worry and curiosity in her words.   
  
Cordelia smiled at her friend, pulling out the patented 'puppy eyes' expression. "Please? I want someone that I know won't try to blow things for me. Besides, how many chances will you get to actually be in the screen of one of the shows you watch?"   
  
Willow sighed, her eyes rolling slightly. "Cordy, stage fright, remember? I'd never be able to say anything! And, well, I'm sure I'd look silly."   
  
"But Willow! On screen with Alex Dane and Jason Nesmith! You can't just blow off a chance like that!" Why didn't Willow understand how great this chance was? She'd had to audition and sweat for her part, and Willow was just being offered the chance for being in the right place at the right time.   
  
Willow stopped, and something seemed to shift for her. "With Alex Dane? I'd be on screen with Alex Dane? There aren't any lines for me to mangle? I suppose I could manage... assuming all the handmaiden needs to do is look pretty?"   
  
Was that a crush? Definitely a crush. "No lines, you just get to sit there looking nice and decorative, adding to the impression of the princess is important and cool."   
  
"Assuming that this is okay with whoever does the casting... I could go for a chance to be on screen with Alex Dane."   
  
Cordelia smiled. Victory was hers, she had arranged for Willow to be on screen with the object of her crush. She'd definitely have a front row seat if anything developed. Even better, Willow's crush was someone that she wasn't interested in, although that voice... Well, she could defintely see a few benefits.   
  
As she and Willow rode back to the hotel, Cordelia was still smiling. She had a part, Nesmith was a great kisser, and Willow had a crush. Yeah, life was good right now.   
  
  
  
end part 6. 


	2. parts 7 to 11

author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg 13.  
  
main characters: Willow, Cordelia, Alex Dane  
  
pairings: hints of Cordelia/Jason Nesmith, Willow/Alex Dane, Gwen DeMarco/Angel  
  
disclaimer; I own nobody from Buffy/Angel or from Galaxy Quest. There may be a few minor original characters.  
  
distribution: Bite Me, WLS, NHA, Twisting the Hellmouth, anyone else please ask, I'll probably say yes.  
  
dedicated to Rose, who I blame for the idea.  
  
note: AU post season 6ish for BtVS timeline, AU season 2 for Angel. Tara split with Willow and left town. Willow resurrected Buffy who was rather cold and doing naughty things with Spike. Willow felt left out, unappreciated and very hurt by Buffy's reaction to her resurrection, so she moved to LA. Darla stayed dead. Post Galaxy Quest the movie.  
  
  
  
Alex heard Benny talking with Melanie, the woman in charge of the wardrobe department, often required to produce a last minute miracle of costuming in close conjunction with the make-up team. He couldn't hear everything, but he caught enough words and phrases to know that they were talking about the costumes for the Princess and her entourage, and that the hand-maiden was a fair skinned red head. He found himself smiling, certain that the only redhead that they could mean was Willow.   
  
Willow as the handmaiden to the Princess... His mind started on an elaborate and unlikely fantasy that if ever written would read like a very bad science fiction romance, where the somewhat unusual looking doctor on the space ship goes to the planet and falls deeply in desire with the lovely handmaiden, expressing this in multiple smut laden chapters and scenarios... Definitely not quality literature by any standards. He wasn't even entirely certain where these ideas... well, he knew they were because of Willow, but he wasn't in the habit of concocting elaborate sexual fantasies about women he'd only briefly met.  
  
She was definitely worth thinking about, but... it felt almost indecent to be thinking about her like this. They'd barely met, and he didn't know very much about her. She didn't seem like the sort who tried to inspire rampant lust in the people around her though. He wished he knew what had caused her to get such a hold on his thoughts, why he was thinking so much about her. He had to figure it out, if this kept up, it would be hell on his work. That wouldn't be worth it, not for passion filled daydreams. Now, if they were real interludes with Willow...   
  
He'd probably get charged with sexual harassment.  
  
A part of him wondered if Willow would be interested in a relationship, possibly a very long term relationship, with an actor. Would she be willing to commit her time and emotions to someone who put in long hours somewhere else... and just might be ending up acting romantic in front of a camera with another woman. There was a quiet, reasonable part of his mind that was suggesting that perhaps he should spend a little time getting to know Willow before trying to pick out the proper sheets for them to share.  
  
Part of him was wondering if that scripted sub-plot with Dr. Lazarus and Tawny would cause him more problems than the screen-time was worth. It had never been a major concern before, especially since he'd so rarely had a romantic role and a serious relationship at the same time. He wondered if it was unrealistic to hope for a future with Willow, before concluding that it was, in fact, every bit as unrealistic as believing that there was really a starship Protector that could cross the gaps between stars. Utterly improbable, and without the Thermians, it wouldn't have happened, but it did. They'd built the Protector, and borrowed them to save their people from a terrifying alien menace.  
  
That had been the most nerve-wracking experience of his entire life. For the first time, lives depended on his actions, and there were no retakes. What if the Thermians came back, needing the help of the Protector once again? What if there was some galactic danger that he was dragged into helping again? How could he ever hope to explain that to Willow?  
  
If he wanted to consider a future with her, he really needed to find out her last name. And if she liked Italian food.  
  
He left the set, his mind already compiling a list of things he wanted to know about Willow... the sort of things that he could ask in public anyhow. Maybe it was just a reaction to all the strangeness that had been happening anyhow. Maybe it was just a passing attraction.  
  
What were her hobbies, and her interests? What sort of things did she find entertaining? Did she read, and if so what sort of things? Were there any food allergies?  
  
Even as he found his mind filling with questions, he wondered why she was making such an impact on him. It was almost uncanny... and rather unsettling. To think that someone he'd only spoken to briefly could occupy so many of his thoughts...  
  
It almost reminded him of the whole Tev'Meck mating bonds that he'd seen so often in the fanfictions written about the show. It was quite the interesting idea... that suddenly, an otherwise rational adult would be seized by the uncontrollable desire to woo and win a certain person, the one person that they wanted to spend the rest of their life with. Most of the time, he took it as a sign that there really were fans of his character.  
  
At the moment though, he was almost worried that the Thermians had found those stories, and had decided that it was that time for Dr. Lazarus... He couldn't quite keep himself from shuddering. He definitely didn't want the Thermians interfering in his love-life. He could make a mess out of that all on his own, thank you very much.  
  
Or Willow could help...  
  
He sighed in frustration as he made his way back to his condo. He was definitely fixated. All he had to do now was figure out what to do about it.  
  
end part 7.  
  
Willow sat in the car, listening to Cordelia alternately grumbling about Nesmith's ego and arrogance and her gleeful delight in having a substantial part, even if only for one episode. Her friend was delighted, which was entirely good. Even if she wished that her own life would fall into such neat order. She sighed before she could stop herself.  
  
"What's wrong?" Cordelia's current tirade against the gigantic ego of Nesmith cut off in mid sentence, leaving only worry for her friend.  
  
Willow glanced at her friend, a corner of her mind pondering all the ways that Cordelia had grown up since high school, going from the self centered 'Queen C' to someone that really cared. "I guess... I guess I'm a bit jealous of you. Not of the clothing, or the being a seer, but... you know exactly where your future lies, with maybe some acting in there as well, and everything's going so good, and if you think I missed the sparkage between you and Nesmith, think again!"  
  
"Is it because you're alone? I mean, not entirely alone, but... well, have you dated anyone since Tara split? And I do NOT intend to get involved with Jason Nesmith! He's arrogant, conceited, self centered, handsome, obnoxious..." Cordelia kept making little glances over at Willow, as if trying to judge her friend's mood while driving.  
  
"Please, please drive instead of looking at me. So, you think Nesmith is handsome? And um, no, I haven't dated anyone, male or female. The idea of trying to go out, just sort of hoping... it leaves me all trembling and pale." Willow clutched at the door handle, feeling terrified yet again by Cordelia's driving, wishing that she had her own car and hadn't needed to take a cab to the set.  
  
Cordelia's voice was a bit hesitant. "I remember hearing all about what happened when Oz left... you haven't been doing any 'help me get over it' spells, have you?"  
  
Willow winced, wondering if Cordelia was trying to remind her of that mess on purpose or by accident. "Umm... no will be done spells, I promise. Really."  
  
"Willow... that's not exactly a resounding no. You haven't been... you did a spell, didn't you? Oh god, please don't have me falling for random people like Buffy did!" Cordelia's voice held a note of dread.  
  
Willow winced, remembering how badly that spell had turned out. "No, nothing like that. It was just... just a simple divination spell. It was supposed to... if there's actually someone out there for me, it was supposed to help me find him... her... whoever. But... all that happened was you got the part. I don't see how that get's me a special anyone, you know?"  
  
"You cast a spell to help you coincidentally bump into the person your destined to be with? Are you crazy?" Cordelia sounded rather worked up.  
  
Willow scrunched into her seat, closing her eyes to avoid seeing the traffic and buildings as Cordelia sped along. "It wasn't supposed to DO anything to anyone. Just... sort of help me take the right turn to meet them, you know? Make sure I'm at the right place in the right time to meet the right person? Except that I'm sort of thinking that it fizzled. Cause the right someone would at least be sort of interested in me, you know?"  
  
She sighed again, listening to Cordelia go off about how spells shouldn't be used for matters of the heart, as witnessed by the Valentine's disaster that Xander had caused. And her spell after Oz had left. And some lusty thing that had left Cordelia pregnant with demon spawn, which Willow'd had nothing to do with. The list went on and on.  
  
Willow closed her eyes, occasionally nodding as Cordelia went on, her mind slipping into a little fantasy. She was Lt. Rosenberg, newly transferred to the Protector, and had just been sent to the medical area to make certain all the systems were working properly for Dr. Lazarus, and that inevitably lead to what could only be called checking out HIS systems. Which were in perfect working order as her fantasy rapidly progressed far beyond the realm of anything that would ever be shown on network television. Naked, naughty passionate touching, with his voice whispering endearments and encouragement...  
  
If she could, she'd have a few explosive kisses of her own, but she just didn't think that she'd be Alex Dane's type. Surely he'd want someone more... well, not Willow? Someone confident that liked going out into the public, and would probably be able to help him with his career. Maybe a model, or another actress, or someone that wrote or directed... Someone with connections, that understood how the film industry worked.  
  
Her mind set off on a new tangent, one where she was sitting at an elegant table in an expensive restaurant, Alex Dane seated across from her in an elegant suit, smiling at her as he poured a glass of white wine for her...  
  
But things never went that smoothly for her. He would never want someone like her. She was probably meant to grow old and wrinkled alone, with her computer and a couple cats. Frowning, she remembered what it was that she helped with. Fighting demons, thwarting the occasional apocalypse, and helping the helpless. She would be killed by some horrible violent battle, dying in great pain with no loved one left behind to mourn her, only her friends her in LA.  
  
Merciful heavens, her thoughts were getting morbid. Maybe she should let a nice steamy fantasy take her thoughts off her probably lonely and loveless future. She was with Alex Dane, shipwrecked on a desert island, with no radio, no way to call for a rescue...  
  
end part 8.  
  
Cordelia was still very unhappy as they entered the lobby of the Hyperion. Willow casting spells while emotionally unstable was a very bad thing. It wasn't that Willow messed up all the time, but when her emotions got tangled up in something... the results were unpredictable. Possibly even dangerous.  
  
Although a simple divination spell sounded harmless enough... What could... no! She refused to even think the words of ultimate jinxing. Just because they weren't over the Hellmouth anymore was no reason to abandon all caution.  
  
Willow wanted to find out if there was someone in her future. She wanted someone to snuggle up with and kiss. That made perfect sense, but to use magic? That way lay certain danger. She felt as if she was about to get a headache just from thinking about it.  
  
There was this feeling, as if her skull had just contracted, squeezing her brain, and she saw these flickering images... herself and Willow in flowing pale gowns, jewels glittering at their throats and wrists... herself in the same gown, kissing Nesmith-Taggert, Willow holding a sword, eyes filled with fear... and a creature roughly the size of a pony, covered with orange-brown leathery skin and huge fangs growling at Willow who was still in the flowing ivory gown...  
  
She had fallen backwards, into Willow, her eyes squeezed shut with a few tears trickling down her cheeks. She was gasping for breath, her head feeling all muzzy from the vision. "Ohhh... why can't I ever get a normal job?"  
  
"Cordy? What... okay, that was a vision, what did you see? Do we need to find Angel?" Willow's voice was a soft murmur near her ear, filled with concern.  
  
She reached up, wiping the stray drops of water from her face. Carefully, she stood up again, taking a few breaths to make everything settle again, feeling surprised and grateful that this vision had lacked the mind numbingly painful intensity of some that she'd received. "There might be a problem on the set... there was this leathery pony sized demon... we were there in long pale gowns and you had a sword. I think it's sort of a heads up that we should be careful."  
  
Willow nodded. "Right... fanged, pony sized nasty... we can look... well, I can look it up while you go over your lines, since you have a speaking part. I get to be monster bait... that's a bit more familiar."  
  
The pair of them went into the study, where the books of demons were kept, neither one appearing to notice the very startled Angel who stood in frozen shock in the shadows. If they had seen him, they would most certainly have been better prepared for what he would do next, but as they hadn't, they simply went into the room, Cordelia memorizing her lines as Willow searched the big, heavy dull books of demons, a surprising number of which either slimed, bled or otherwise ruined clothing.  
  
As she flipped the pages of her script, one that was notably thinner than the scripts of the main characters, she noticed something. There was leeway for a return appearance. Taggert and his ship had come to arrange a resupply of some sort of mineral for their ship which her planet had in abundance. If they needed it again... Meaning if her character was popular enough to have a return appearance, she could be brought back in. Her smile was radiant, and she could hardly wait to share the wonderful news.  
  
"There's room for a return appearance! I could be in another episode!" She showed Willow the sections supporting her hope, and saw her friend nod with an amused little smile.  
  
"You think I'm having that skewed priority thing, don't you?" She had to ask, hoping that Willow didn't see her as the same shallow, self-absorbed girl that she'd been in high school.  
  
Willow giggled a bit, her eyes sparkling. "Well... maybe a bit skewed. But on the other hand, you didn't get the feeling that this was a big scary threat, so all we should need to do is find it's listing, look up the vulnerable areas, and take a sword with us so that when it shows up, we have something that isn't a prop to use against it. And it's good to pay attention to your career, and I hope you do get a return appearance."  
  
"I just wish the Powers would but out of my romantic future... unless... it had a glimpse of me... the Princess kissing Taggert. Maybe that's sort of a clue when the thing will attack?" Cordelia was thinking out loud, part of her wondering why the Powers didn't take a little hand in Willow's love life, since she apparently had even asked for one.  
  
"Well, it's always nice to know when danger intends to strike. Hmmm... was it a particular sword in your vision, or do you think anything long, sharp and pointy would do?" Willow sounded as if her mind was working in several directions at once, and she was still leafing through a big book filled with creepy pictures of demons.  
  
"I think it was just one that would match the outfits. I know which one it was, and there's nothing particularly special about it, but it's pretty catchy to look at." Cordelia decided that she could return her attention to the script, and missed Willow's amused snicker.  
  
end part 9.  
  
When he woke up, Alex found himself looking forward to his day on the set. His dreams had been... rather odd. Some had been almost predictable, like the one where he was again dragged into space by the Thermians and expected to perform surgical procedures, which he knew absolutely nothing about. Or the one where he finally had an important role, and couldn't remember any of his lines, bumbling on the set worse than a half drunken amaeteur. Some were of Willow, and those had been delightful... except for the one where he and Willow had been trying to run away from this gigantic snake thing that was telling them that they were being unhygienic, so he would have to eat them.  
  
But now he was awake. There were no giant snake things, he would not flub his lines, and he had never been that uncoordinated. Even better, Willow should be on the set again today, either for some of the persistent technical irritations or to practice for being the handmaiden. Willow would be there... and he might have a chance to find out if it was just the mystery of her that was keeping him so interested.  
  
He found himself humming on the way to work, this annoyingly catchy song that he'd heard on the radio. Something about a mystery woman with eyes of green. He was still smiling as he walked onto the set, right up to the moment where he found the technicians in a fluster, and people on the tall ladders replacing the lights. More problems... It was almost enough to make him believe in curses and jinxing. He sighed, wondering what else the day would hold for him.  
  
Willow and Cordelia walked in, each holding a cup of coffee in one hand, and Willow again had her toolbox with it's assorted stickers, and Cordelia carrying a long narrow bag. They both stopped when confronted with the sight of the lights being replaced, and Cordelia gaped.  
  
"What happened?" Cordelia looked somewhere between worried and baffled.  
  
Willow walked over towards the lights, looking at the old ones. "Something... the lights were damaged. It almost looks like something cut them, which doesn't make any sense at all, you know?" She took another sip from her coffee, her eyes half closed in either pleasure or thought. "Are there any other sudden technical problems? Something for me to fix?"  
  
She was kept busy working on some of the equipment, making various repairs and chatting with the technical staff. It made Alex oddly jealous, and for the first time in his life, he almost wished that he was a set technical support rather than an actor. She seemed at ease talking to them, smiling and he heard her laugh a few times, a cheerful sound that reminded him of running water.  
  
Then he saw the strange man in the shadows, watching Willow. He wasn't part of the technical or security crew, and he definitely wasn't part of the cast, although he did have the right sort of features for acting. Tall, broad shoulders, dark hair and good posture... he wasn't anybody that should be on the set. Frowning, Alex walked towards him, intent on learning why this man was watching Willow. "Who are you, and what do you think you're doing here?"  
  
The man looked at him, his expression brooding and guarded. "I'm... a friend of Willow and Cordelia. I was a bit worried about them."  
  
Alex gave a slow nod, one that made it clear that while he had heard the other's words, he wasn't sure he believed him. "If you're their friend, why are you lurking in the shadows? Why not go over and say hello?"  
  
There was something about this man, this 'friend' that didn't seem quite right. Rather like the shifted Thermians hadn't seemed quite right for humans, even though the shape was there. In the case of the Thermians, it was their behavior and language. With this man, it was... he couldn't quite put it into words, but there was something off about him.  
  
"Cordelia would try to skin me with her tongue if I interrupted her rehearsal." The lurking man had a near smile when he spoke, and then frowned slightly, as if remembering something unpleasant. "Figuratively, of course. And Willow was buried in some sort of complicated electronics. The last time I startled her in such circumstances, she hit her head on the casing and proceeded to insult me while hurling pointed metal tools at me. I think lurking is safer at the moment."  
  
Alex considered his explanation for a moment, deciding that it felt plausible. Maybe he would let the guy stay for a bit. "There have been a few odd things going on lately... please be careful."  
  
He walked away, the skin between his shoulder blades prickling uncomfortably at the stranger's presence. Definitely something off about him. Best go practice his lines, after all, he was a capable actor, not the inept hack of his nightmares.  
  
He got caught up in his rehearsals and in the filming for a couple scenes, and then on his break, he made his way over to Willow. She was frowning towards a corner, where Gwen was chatting with... the lurking man.   
  
"Something wrong, Willow? And it did occur to me that I didn't catch your last name..." He tried to keep his tone light, to pretend he didn't feel like throwing daggers at the other man that Willow was staring at.  
  
She turned towards him, a bright smile lighting up her face. "Hey... and umm, it's Rosenberg. Willow Rosenberg... I don't think I said it yesterday. That's Angel." A hand waved in the general direction of the lurker. "He's... he's a friend of ours, but he sort of gets a bit over-protective sometimes. Goes all fussy older brother on us, and would probably be perfectly happy shutting us away from the big scary world... except that we won't let him. So he broods, except that he really doesn't seem to be brooding right now, and Gwen really seems to like him, which could be bad because he's pretty obsessive about his work and keeps weird hours and has a really tormented and ugly dating history... and I'm babbling again." She turned a delightful shade of pink.  
  
He felt a tremendous wave of relief crash through him. Willow wasn't involved with the lurker. They weren't dating, weren't engaged. Maybe he had a chance... Unless she had someone else for a boyfriend. "What do you think he's trying to protect you from this time?"  
  
She gave a mischievious giggle. "Honestly? I'm not sure. Maybe he's trying to protect Cordy from another slimy directorish type, or from Nesmith... although I should definitely tell him to back away from that issue very slowly and carefully. Of course, it could also be that he's done something horrible to the computer at his office, and is in desperate need of a miracle or my repairs. In which case he can wait, because I don't think it's the end of the world."  
  
Part of him shuddered, certain that she had no idea how serious the end of the world could be, or else she wouldn't put things so lightly. But he couldn't expect her to know, to understand that terrible weight of responsibility. There were still days when it seemed difficult to believe that the fate of the, well, a world had rested on his shoulders. The Thermians had taken them away to save their people from attack, and himself, Gwen, Jason, Fred, Tommy and Guy had been forced to save an entire people from anihilation. He still had nightmares about failing, and about his smaller failures that had cost an entire room of Thermians their lives.  
  
"What does he do when you have a date with someone he doesn't approve of?" Alex couldn't quite stop the question. It would be a swift way to uncover her dating life.  
  
She gave a small laugh that seemed almost pained. "Me? Date? Sorry, I know you have a great role in science fiction, but... my life is pretty dateless. I've had a few rather painful wrong choices, and the two people that I loved both left me. So... no dates for Willow. I guess in the real world, I'm not what people want."  
  
He couldn't believe her words. Not that he thought she was lying, but that everyone could be so blind. She was captivating, attractive, and had the most delightful smile... why hadn't someone snapped her up? Maybe he could fix that... "Have dinner with me? Let me prove to you that people in the real world... or at least Los Angeles, can find you charming and enjoyable company."  
  
Her eyes were suddenly on him, so intense that he almost felt like she could see into the very core of his being, uncover all of his secrets. "You... you're asking me out? To dinner? When? Where? Umm... I mean, I'd be delighted..." She turned that delightful pink again, blushing and smiling.  
  
Several naughty ideas for finding out just how far that blush extended flickered through his mind, and he smiled at the images. But it wasn't the time for that, not yet. This... there wasn't a relationship yet, and if he tried to get her into his bed, to explore those delightful fantasies, how would she know that he wanted more? That he was starting to think he wanted her, all of her, in his life? "How about Friday, at a little Japanese place I know? It's not terribly formal, but not exactly jeans, and we could go after the filming is done?"  
  
"I think I'd like that very much." She was smiling at him as if he'd just given her something wonderful.  
  
He couldn't help smiling back, most likely with an equally sappy smile. They had a date. Things were looking up.  
  
end part 10.  
  
Willow felt almost giddy, check that, she was definitely giddy, and lightheaded, and she almost felt like her feet weren't touching the floor anymore. Alex Dane had asked her to go to dinner with him! Alex Dane! She had a date with the object of her lustful, wicked fantasies. She was ecstatically happy. She was humming a cheerful little fragment of song, something that she could only remember half the words for.  
  
The only thing keeping her from nearly floating away in delirious joy was Angel. Why was he lurking on the set... well, right now he was chatting with Gwen DeMarco, but that didn't change her main question. Why was Angel here? What had brought him here... and how had he arrived in the daytime? Was he after some dangerous nasty? Checking up on them for some overprotective reason? Absolutely bored silly from staying in the hotel all day?  
  
And while she was pondering Angel, exactly how secure was his soul now, anyhow? That had been her first major casting, and her memories of it were... well, a bit fuzzy. Cordelia would say that was a side effect of being possessed by the ghost of some dead gypsy witch, but... well, things were fuzzy. Maybe the coma had a bit to do with it. Or the concussion. But the main point to all her mental rambling was that she wasn't certain if that evil, vicious clause had been in her casting of the soul restoration.  
  
Considering the way Gwen seemed to be talking to him, the little leaning closer thing, and her hands kept gesturing near his body, inside his personal space... It was pretty obvious that the blonde actress was attracted to Angel. And Angel seemed at least a little attracted to her. She'd definitely better do some research on that soul spell, and fast.  
  
She had a date with Alex... this Friday, after the filming was done. She hadn't had a date since... well, not since Tara had had her brain melted by that evil Glorificus. Well over a year since the last time she'd had a date. And things with Tara had never had the same degree of anticipation, or of lust driven fantasy.  
  
Allowing a small corner of her mind to dwell on the possibilities of her date with Alex, Willow settled herself at the lighting computer, installing a few virus detection programs, making an effort to protect the system from program tampering. Glancing around, she made certain that nobody was watching before whispering a few words over the case, words to prevent any harmful intent from touching the insides. It should at least slow down any further efforts to delay or halt production by tampering with the computers. That just left the cameras, the lights, the props and sets...   
  
Well, maybe who ever was causing problems could still manage. But that would at least cover the computer system. And if she solved everything in one afternoon, what reason would she have to stick around? Oh... she was going to be in a scene with Alex Dane! That was reason enough to stay. Plus there was the amusement of watching Cordy and her whatever it was with Jason Nesmith, and it was pretty interesting to see Angel sort of squirm like he had about Gwen DeMarco... Angel apparently had a weakness for blondes.  
  
She worked on some various electronics, part of her mind trying to figure out if there was a pattern to the damages. If she could find a pattern, it might help her figure out what sort of personality was behind the sabotage. She hadn't got very far when she was pulled over to practice the movements and positioning for her part. She got through by looking up at Alex through her eyelashes, studying him intently. She felt underdressed, he was in his full costume and makeup, and she was just in her jeans and a soft sweater.  
  
It was like the set and the technicians just faded away, and she was standing there, looking into his eyes. She could hear the thrumming of her pulse in her ears, almost like the ocean waves. She felt as if she would be able to perfectly recall every line and plane of him, even the small wrinkle on his sleeve. The intensity of his eyes... the faint smile on his face. It was as if there was nobody else around. And he was watching her with such intensity, she could only imagine that he felt this too, this attraction, this connection.  
  
"Alright, if you're finished, we need to fit the gowns to these two." The voice of the wardrobe lady shattered Willow's focus, drawing her back to awareness.  
  
So Willow found herself being fitted into a long pale gown, not a particularly soft fabric, or particularly expensive feeling, but it looked impressive. She would look quite the impressive handmaiden in this. As long as she didn't get all nervous and shaky that it. All she would have to do was focus on Alex... and as a pin jabbed at her hip, she was reminded of the fact that there might be a problem with a demon as well.  
  
How frustrating. She wasn't even in Sunnydale anymore and she couldn't have a normal day. Couldn't just contemplate her date with the man that starred in her dreams. No, she had to figure out a way to plan for an attacking demon. If she hadn't grown up in Sunnydale, this would all feel very weird... Of course, she had no idea how to explain any of this to Alex. If there was any chance of a relationship, she would have to explain that demons and vampires were real... but that would sound ridiculous. He'd be just as likely to believe in alien abductions.  
  
end part 11. 


	3. parts 12 to 17

author: Lucinda with considerable help from my Beta Rose  
  
rating: pg 13.  
  
Main characters: Willow, Cordelia, Alex Dane  
  
pairings: hints of Cordelia/Jason Nesmith, Willow/Alex Dane, Gwen DeMarco/Angel  
  
disclaimer; I own nobody from Buffy/Angel or from Galaxy Quest. There may be a few minor original characters.  
  
Distribution: Bite Me, WLS, NHA, Twisting the Hellmouth, anyone else please ask, I'll probably say yes.  
  
Dedicated to Rose, who I blame for the idea.  
  
note: AU post season 6ish for BtVS timeline, AU season 2 for Angel. Tara split with Willow and left town. Willow resurrected Buffy who was rather cold and doing naughty things with Spike. Willow felt left out, unappreciated and very hurt by Buffy's reaction to her resurrection, so she moved to LA. Darla stayed dead. Post Galaxy Quest the movie.  
  
Angel wasn't happy about the set and areas for this show that Cordelia was working at. There was something... several somethings wrong. One of the women, pale skinned dark haired, moved a bit wrong, as if her muscles and joints weren't quite the same, and she didn't smell right. She smelled almost like she'd been in the ocean, but that wasn't quite right. Maybe she was some sort of water demon? Then there were the other scents... there had been two demons on the set. Demons that smelled leathery, one smelling almost like leather, dog and rotting meat, the other a lighter sort of leathery, with anger and frustration mixed in. The whole thing could only be trouble. Trouble that could get people hurt, like Cordelia, or Willow. Or Gwen.  
  
He leaned back in his chair, knowing that Willow had seen him at the set, knowing that she would want to know why he'd been there. How would he explain? 'Oh, I just happened to be eavesdropping and heard you mention a vision with a demon on the set...' No. Or 'I wanted to make sure Gwen was safe...' Oh, double no on that one... Gwen... safety... the curse. Angel put his hand on his face, growling at the idea of those evil gypsies and their idea of a 'good clause' to put on a soul anchoring spell.  
  
Gwen was beautiful, confident, charming... and mortal. Mortal with no awareness of what he was, that there were even vampires or demons. But he liked her, and wanted to get to know her better. He was just afraid that if he did, he could fall for her, find himself in a relationship... Unleash Angelus. Gwen wouldn't have a chance... his evil self would slaughter her... or turn her. He'd start a rampage of destruction and death...  
  
"Damn those Kalderash Gypsies." He was definitely growling.  
  
"Umm... I think the original ones are already dead, Angel. I brought you some blood..." Willow stood in the doorway, although hovered might have been a better word. She looked as if she could be gone in a moment.  
  
A quick brush of his fingers over his brow revealed that he'd slipped into his vampire face, a possible explanation for Willow's nervousness. "Thanks... and I'm not evil again. It's just..."  
  
She walked over, handing him the mug of warmed blood. Her smile made her look almost like a pixie or one of the lesser elves... she'd be the perfect subject of a drawing. "So... drink up, and then I'd like you to explain why you were on the set. I think I can guess why you're heaping curses on the gypsies."  
  
He sipped the blood, feeling it settle his nerves, sooth his temper. "Why is that?"  
  
She perched on the edge of his desk, her whole pose casual and unafraid. "I saw you talking to Gwen DeMarco. You seem to have this thing for blonds, you know? They're definitely your type. But you were smiling, and... not brooding at all. So, I think you sort of like her and would like to spend more time with her, but then you remembered that evil clause, and how it caused very bad things in Sunnydale, and nobody wants that to happen again. So I figured that it might be good to try to find out if that clause is even still there, because when I did the restoration.... the time it worked, not the time it got interrupted, everything's sort of fuzzy, and I can't remember all the words that I said, so... umm..."  
  
"You... can't remember all of it?" Angel frowned, trying to remember if he'd even known that Willow had cast the spell. "But... that's a very complicated spell. It took the whole clan the first time."  
  
She gave a small grin, almost teasing. "And you completely didn't mention the blond comment. Cordy was there, she said it looked like I was possessed for the second half of it. That's the part that's all fuzzy. I wanted to check the translation, to find out... to find out if something may have been changed, or if there are any other clauses, you know? Before we learn the hard way..."  
  
Willow had such a way of making things seem lighter, less ominous. "You aren't telling me to stay away from Gwen? Or that I shouldn't try to have a relationship?"  
  
She tilted her head slightly, looking very thoughtful. "I'd say hold off on any sex until we know you'll wake up you." Angel choked, sputtering into his blood. "But if Gwen DeMarco doesn't want you talking to her, she's more than capable of telling you to back off. And you would, right? But there's nothing to say that you can't talk to her, to make friends... and why were you there anyhow?"  
  
He knew she'd get to that question eventually. He'd probably be best sticking with the truth. "I overheard you and Cordelia. Her vision." Angel paused, trying to find a way to phrase the rest so that it wouldn't sound insulting.  
  
Apparently, he took too long. Willow frowned at him, shaking one finger in a faintly scolding motion. "You thought that maybe we couldn't handle it ourselves? Or that we'd get hurt? That's sort of sweet in an over-protective big brother sort of way. But Cordy figured that we could handle it... as long as I don't pass out from being on stage."  
  
Willow... passing out? On stage? But why would Willow be on stage? He didn't think that she harbored any dreams of being an actress... "Willow? Why... on stage?"  
  
"I got drafted. I'm the handmaiden to her royal highness, the princess Mirabanna, as played by Cordy. All I have to do is stand in the background, look decorative, and sort of emphasis that her character is important. I don't even have any lines, which is good because I'd never remember them. I only agreed because... well, it was a scene with Alex Dane. Blackmail and temptation... I totally fell to the... acting side?" Willow's short babble explained a few things and left others a bit murky.  
  
Angel couldn't help it, he laughed. The way she'd described it sounded so amusing... "Drafted into being a royal handmaiden... Willow, you're one of a kind. So, who's Alex Dane?"  
  
She gave him this look, one that said he'd missed an element of current culture. "I suppose you either know or gathered that he's an actor... He plays Dr Lazarus, the one with the head ridge thingies. You spoke to him earlier... He's got this voice... you could build a career with a voice like that."  
  
Ahhhh... Willow had an infatuation for this actor. That was how she'd been 'drafted' into being on screen. "So... are you sure that he's human? Safe? And what's this about a demon anyhow, which one did she see?"  
  
"Which one? You mean there's more than one at the set? Umm... she saw a big orangey brown leathery thing about the size of a pony. With teeth. As for Alex Dane... I think he's as safe as any other guy would be... and is human that big of a deal? Although I think he is." Willow sounded a bit worried.  
  
Angel tried to sort out everything to explain clearly. "There were lingering scents of two different demons, both sort of leathery smelling. And one of the actresses? The shortish one with dark hair and pale skin? She's... I don't know what she is, but it's not human."  
  
"Hmm... I guess we'll just have to be careful. I've got a sword to keep with me for when the demon attacks, and I have magic in case things get ugly. As for her, umm... I'm not sure what her name is either, but she doesn't seem like she's out to cause trouble." Willow had that thoughtful look.  
  
"That sounds good. I still want to go back to the set. In case that other demon causes problems." Angel looked down at his half finished mug, certain that Willow would see through his flimsy explanation. He wanted to go back so that he could talk to Gwen.  
  
She looked at him a small smile on her face, eyes sparkling with merriment. "Sure. In case of the demon... I'll see you in the morning. Early."  
  
End part 12.  
  
Cordelia wasn't at all amused by Angel going to the set. Granted, she could understand that he was worried about a demon, but... she should be able to handle one demon by herself! Okay, herself and Willow, but still, why did Angel have to go? She was definitely fuming... and how much of that was because she figured Angel and Jason Nesmith wouldn't get along?  
  
"Why is he coming with us any how?" She was definitely exasperated.  
  
Willow looked over, a small smirk on her face as she looked over a stack of papers. "He wants us to think it's because there's traces of a second but different demon on the set. I think it's because he's sort of interested in Gwen DeMarco."  
  
"What? Angel... is thinking about dating? Oh, that should get him to stop brooding... and what about his soul?" The possibilities flew through her mind.  
  
Willow smothered a giggle. "That's why I'm looking at this. It's the ritual... from Jenny's disk. Angel's a bit worried about that possibility too, but just talking to her shouldn't hurt anything."  
  
Cordelia fussed with her hair, hoping that it would look alright when they got there. Although the make up people would take over, doing whatever they felt best for the style of an alien princess. "I though this was sort of an adventure show, not some sort of dating connection for the actors. I mean, you and Alex Dane, and I so want details after that, and now Angel and Gwen?"  
  
"You're forgetting you and Nesmith. It sort of reminds me of you and Xander... glares, sniping comments, and then... boom, your kissing."  
  
"I am not... I am NOT dating Jason Nesmith! It's just... just a part... we're practicing." She really wasn't dating him, even if he was a great kisser. It took two people to date, and he wasn't looking for a girlfriend... not that she was interested, really. Really. She could almost make a convincing case.  
  
Willow looked at her, something shadowing her eyes. "And do you expect me to believe that you wouldn't want to be more involved with Nesmith? That there isn't something there, a potential, a spark?"  
  
"Well... maybe there is a spark… but Friday's the last bit of filming, some of the scenes that you aren't in. After that, when would I ever see him again?" There was sorrow in her voice. "He's... I don't know, but it's sort of exciting. But I don't think he sees me as girlfriend material."  
  
Willow nodded, her eyes darkening with thought, and she nibbled a bit on her lip. "After Friday... yeah, things will be different after Friday. But let's go get ready, we have to go to the set, be ready for the demon attacking, for whatever technical crisis hits today... and I'm being filmed today... oh dear..."  
  
There was just something too amusing about Willow being more nervous about being filmed than fighting a demon. But she was right, they did have things to worry about that would come before 'how are things different after Friday?', like would anyone be attacked by some demon on the set? Would they have to explain away something strange and freaky and... Wait, could she try to convince people that it was a weird special effect?  
  
And the chance to tease Angel about his crush on Gwen would just be too fun. He spent so much time brooding that it was almost weird on the level of the Twilight Zone to think of Angel having a crush. Even more bizarre was the idea that they had all met someone at the same place.  
  
Oh, their lives were just so bizarre sometimes. "If this is going to be the last day, we might as well make the best of it. Carpe Diem and all..." Cordelia tried to inspire confidence in herself, to ignore the little corner that was pouting and insisting that she was having fun. But she noticed Willow shiver a bit at her suggestion. "What's wrong?"  
  
Willow glanced away, her fingers twisting at her hair, and apparently missed Angel approaching. "It's just... Buffy suggested... back when she first came to Sunnydale, that I should Carpe Diem, because life's short. I almost got eaten by a vampire. It left me a bit twitchy over carpe Diem and seizing moments. It generally tends to bring me trouble."  
  
"Nobody's going to try to turn you into dinner on the set, Willow. And if they try..." Cordelia paused, trying to think of something to reassure her friend with.  
  
Angel offered a few words, something that oddly worked. "If anyone tries, we'll kill them."  
  
Willow gave a small smile, and looked thoughtful. "It should seem really odd to me that threatening to kill someone works as a tactic for reassurance. But... if it works, let's go."  
  
End part 13.  
  
She knew that she was far too nervous about this. Her breathing was fast, her pulse racing... and she'd only just walked onto the set. Willow shook her head, trying to remind herself of all the reasons why she didn't have to be worried. Of all the reasons why she would be just fine. They could kill the demony thing from Cordy's vision. She had no lines to flub. There were expert make up and wardrobe people to make sure that she looked okay. Angel had promised dismemberment and suffering on anyone who deliberately tried to cause them problems. She could do this. Right, breathe in, breathe out...   
  
Angel started prowling around the set, his expression grim and serious, making it clear that he felt there was something wrong. Cordelia went right over to a chair, sitting down to go over her lines one last time. Willow felt restless, unsettled, and entirely awkward. She began a meandering inspection, seeking any indication of something damaged, or cursed. Maybe the tedious inspection would calm her nerves?   
  
Frustratingly, the only change that her meandering inspection resulted in was a slight lightening of worry that the show could go on. That in no way lessened her worry caused by her going on the show. And now her feet hurt. She couldn't seem to settle her nerves. Worse, she had no idea where the costuming department was from here.   
  
Glaring at a section of floor, the words tumbled from her lips. "How am I supposed to get ready for my single little scene before they need to do the make up for the speaking roles if I can't even find the costume people?!?"   
  
"Perhaps I can help you find it?" Alex's voice curled around her, bearing a hint of amusement, and something else, something that she couldn't put a name to.   
  
Willow could feel herself blushing. Bad enough that she was lost, but to have Alex see that... "Thanks... I know it has to be here somewhere. It's not like they just... digitize you somewhere else, change your clothing and pop you back."   
  
He seemed to find that far more amusing than its feeble humor merited. "No... there's a large room of clothing and a couple little cubicles to change in. They just tucked it underneath the sets. I'll show you over to the elevator."   
  
Ohh, an elevator trip with Alex Dane... that brought some interesting images to her mind. "Lead on. So... dinner tonight, after the shooting? And for some reason that sounded wrong... I meant filming, not shooting with guns and... I'm babbling again. Sorry"   
  
"You seem a bit nervous, Willow. Is it... can I be of any help?" Alex reached out, his hand resting on her back as he led her down the hall.   
  
Part of her just wanted to melt back into his hand and purr... "It's silly..." Well, if she left out the parts about a demon thing that was supposed to attack her and a potential saboteur, it seemed a bit silly. "I umm... I get stage fright. And I'm going to be in front of the cameras, the direction that gets the picture taken, and it's got me a bit nervous. I know there isn't much that I need to do, no lines, no demanding moving around, but..."   
  
Gently, he smiled at her, his eyes warm and lovely, even in the dim hallway. "It's perfectly natural to be nervous. Even if there isn't anything demanding that you're expected to do. I used to have problems with that myself... Once in a while, it's still there, a bit. Not that I'd mention it to the directors... Or Jason. The man would mock me about it well into the next millennium. And here is the elevator to take us below the sets."   
  
They got into the elevator, something smallish and bound to inspire feelings of claustrophobia. Firmly, he pushed a button, and the elevator rattled, beginning its slow descent. They hadn't made it yet when there was a horrible rattling, almost like something scurrying over metal, and a loud 'pwanggg' noise, and the elevator lurched roughly, halting. And the doors wouldn't open.   
  
"This... could get awkward." Alex sounded almost... almost as if he was trying to contain something, to not think about the elevator, or how long it might take before they could leave.   
  
Willow smiled at him, just a little bit. She was trapped in an elevator with Alex Dane. "Any ideas how we could pass the time?"   
  
Alex smiled slightly in response, then asked in a slightly strained voice. "I suppose it's too much to hope that you have a cell phone...?   
  
"Um...no. But hey, look, there's a phone here. Let's try it." Willow replied.   
  
She felt the need to reassure him for some reason, although she didn't know why. This was *Alex Dane* after all.   
  
"Oh right, of course, how silly of me." He said, smiling, as he stepped over to the panel that housed the emergency phone.   
  
The relieved smile melted from his face, however, when he placed the phone to his ear. Silence. Even though he knew it was useless, Alex tapped the handset repeatedly anyway. Finally accepting defeat, he placed the receiver back into its cradle. At the look on his handsome face Willow knew the phone was dead. Trying to remain calm, she glanced at her watch.   
  
Noting that it was nearly lunch time, Willow said, "Hey Alex, you know, it's just about 12 so, um, someone is bound to come along soon. We'll be out of here before you know it."   
  
Despite her cheerful delivery, Willow's reassurances fell on deaf ears, due to Alex's quickly rising exasperations. He could feel the anxiety beginning to build, creeping up from the base of his spine and flowing throughout the rest of his body. Clinching his eyes closed he began the inner mantra that he had developed in case of such a situation.   
  
*Deep breath in....slow breath out. Deep breath in...slow breath out.*   
  
After a few seconds of this Alex got the feeling that this technique was definitely NOT working. So, he did the next logical thing, in his opinion.... he panicked.   
  
Willow watched as her companion's complexion paled slightly. Alex closed his eyes and his lips silently began mouthing words that she couldn't quite make out. Beads of sweat were slowly becoming apparent on his forehead. Suddenly, without warning, Alex practically threw himself against the elevator's doors and began pounding on them.   
  
"Come on lift....LIFT!!" He urged the elevator, mentally willing it to begin working.   
  
The sound of his voice cracking prompted Willow into action. Reaching out her hand, Willow rested it on Alex's shoulder to draw his attention back to her.   
  
"Alex....hey, it's gonna be all right."   
  
"No, you don't understand!" Alex exclaimed as he moved back from the doors. "I've got to get out!" Looking up he wondered aloud, "I wonder if we could climb out the top..."   
  
Realizing his panic attack was worsening, Willow did the only thing she could think of. Concentrating hard, she closed her eyes and cast a calming spell over the agitated man beside her. Once she was through, Willow opened her eyes and glanced over at Alex. He seemed better and the wildness had left his eyes. His breathing had returned to normal and she heaved a sigh of relief as she watched him lean against the back wall of the elevator, slowly sliding down the length of it to sit on the floor and bury his face in his hands. Walking over, Willow slid down to sit beside Alex.   
  
End part 14.   
  
Cordelia sighed, wondering what could be taking Willow so long. She'd gone away with Alex Dane to find the wardrobe people so that she could put on her dress. But that was at least... well, okay, maybe it had only been ten minutes. Perhaps she was being a bit impatient. She sighed, looking at her nails, painted a shimmering gold.   
  
"Can't wait for our dramatic scene, Princess?" The voice of Jason Nesmith jarred her from her fretting.   
  
She glared at him, noticing that he was already in his carefully fitted uniform, not a wrinkle on the fabric, and lacking even a speck of lint on the dark pants. With a small huff, she made a dismissive gesture. "More like I can't wait to be away from your enormous ego. Really, you'd think from listening to you that you really were some sort of big shot space captain, not an actor."   
  
"Right, we both know that you just can't wait to plant another one right here." He made a gesture towards his lips, his eyes sparkling.   
  
"The only reason that I kissed you at all is because it's in the script!" She was aware of her voice verging on shrill, probably carrying farther than she wanted.   
  
He glared right back, his expression nowhere near as angry as his voice sounded. "The only reason it's in the script is because women can't get enough of me!"   
  
"It's in the script because that's the only way you can get some action!" She was standing very close to him now, feeling his breath touching her as he screamed, seeing how the little vein on his forehead pulsed as she taunted him.   
  
The next thing she knew, his arms were around her, and their lips had crashed together, a kiss more intense, more passionate than anything else recently. He tasted like... like adventure. She felt herself relaxing against him, one hand resting against his muscular chest as the other reached up, touching his hair.   
  
Finally, they broke apart, Cordelia pushing herself back, looking at him in what was supposed to be an angry glare. She had the suspicion that it turned out more like dazed confusion. She also had the sneaking suspicion that she had what a romance novel would describe as a 'heaving bosom' at the moment as she tried to regain her sense of calm. That had been... intense.   
  
"What was that about?" He sounded just as unsettled as she felt. "What was that?"   
  
"You kissed me! If you didn't know what that was... You kissed me!" Cordelia wondered if she could possibly make things fit back into their calm and orderly pattern... oh, who was she kidding? She was a seer for an ensouled vampire that fought for redemption. Her life wasn't anywhere near calm and orderly.   
  
Coming to the conclusion that nothing would be accomplished here, Cordelia turned away, deciding that she would go have a cup of coffee. Maybe she would be able to think more clearly away from Jason.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
"Feel better?" Willow asked, as she placed a comforting hand on the clearly still upset man.   
  
Nodding, Alex finally lifted his head from his hands to look at her. "I'm very sorry about this. It's...extremely embarrassing."   
  
Willow scoffed lightly, "Nah, believe me, when it comes time for my part in the show, you'll see ALOT worse."   
  
This reply coaxed a soft chuckle from Alex, then he noticed that Willow had not yet removed her hand from his shoulder. Her hand was, in fact, massaging said shoulder, causing the tense muscles there to relax. He wondered if she realized what she was doing, and decided that she did when he saw the blush beginning to creep up her neck and onto her face. She was so adorable when she blushed.   
  
Willow was mortified when she realized what her hand was doing. She was even more so when she saw that Alex had noticed it too. But he didn't protest, had actually leaned into her touch, really. Willow's breathed hitched and suddenly she felt herself becoming aware of their situation.   
  
They were alone. Stranded in an elevator. A broken elevator.   
  
When he moved, it was as if in slow motion. He leaned over toward her, causing her hand to slide across the width of his shoulders until her arm was around his neck. His hand came up, catching her chin with his fingers and tilted her head to the side a tad, just as his lips brushed across her own.   
  
*Oh, Goddess, his lips are soft.* Was the only thought she could acknowledge as she melted against him and gave in to the moment.   
  
Wrapping his arm around Willow's waist, Alex shifted slightly and drew the red head to him until she was practically sitting in his lap. This brought a gasp from Willow's lips, which allowed Alex to deepen their kiss. Willow's hands clenched as desire ran down her spine, causing the shirt to bunch up in them. Alex's hands were making their way up and down her back, causing Willow to shiver, but in a good way. They would never really recall who initiated it, but soon buttons were being unbuttoned, articles of clothing pushed aside to allow hands and mouths a chance to explore.   
  
They were so engrossed in their activity that they didn't feel the slight jolt of the elevator as it slowly began to function again. They didn't even hear the ding signaling that they had reached their floor or the doors sliding open.   
  
They did hear the gasp, however, that rang out at the sight of the two entangled bodies on the elevator floor.   
  
"Oh. My..." Angel was nearly speechless.  
  
"Uh, would you two like some privacy? Cause, you know, we could always take the next one." Gwen was trying to keep her smile contained, rather decisively failing.  
  
End part 15.  
  
Angel was lurking, and trying to hide the internal debate he was having. He'd insisted on coming here, not because he didn't think Willow and Cordelia capable of handling things, but... Well, maybe that was why he'd come the first time, out of worry for them. Especially since he knew that Willow had only had whatever instruction she might have been able to pick up in Sunnydale as physical defense.   
  
But then, he'd bumped almost literally into Gwen. She was beautiful, which was nice, but not enough to explain the fascination that she held for him. After all, he'd seen hundreds, thousands of beautiful women, including a century with Darla and his decades with Dru, both of whom were beautiful. No, there was something more than simply the fact that she was beautiful, and charming. There was also something in her eyes, the sort of depth that only comes from seeing things, experiencing things that force your view of life and reality to shift. He didn't know what had put that look in her eyes, but he wanted to know.   
  
They'd talked some, and he'd learned a bit about this series that she was in, the one that Cordelia had a part in. Except that Gwen's part was permanent and Cordelia's was only for a single episode. Gwen seemed to have something, a confidence and contentment that so many people were lacking. As if she was entirely pleased with where she was in her life. He wasn't certain that he'd ever met anyone else that was entirely happy with their life.   
  
"Hey Angel. Why the somber expression?" Gwen's cheerful voice was like music to his ears.   
  
He looked up, offering her a hesitant smile. "I hadn't realized that I looked somber. You could say that I was considering the past, and the present."   
  
"What's wrong with the present then? Jealous because of Cordelia and Jason?" She had this teasing sparkle in her eyes that gave him a funny lightening feeling in his stomach.   
  
"No, not of those two. They'll have sparks, intense emotions, and things between them will probably burn out quickly. No, if there's one of my friends to be jealous of it's Willow and that whatever she has with Alex." Angel shook his head slightly, wondering if Alex Dane had any idea how Willow felt, and if he would turn out to be good enough for her.   
  
"Oh..." Gwen glanced down, not quite looking at him. "Are you wishing that it was you that she had a... something with? Instead of Alex?"   
  
He couldn't help it, Angel laughed. "No, no, I don't... it's not like that. She's my friend. A better friend than I deserve. And she's loyal, a wonderful friend that will go... far beyond reason. I wouldn't be the man I am today if not for her. I just hope he's good enough... loyal enough for her. She needs someone that will appreciate her, and someone that will stay."   
  
"Well... it's good to have friends you can count on." She looked oddly relieved for some reason. "You aren't going to try to warn them off from actors? Not convinced that everyone in the acting field is bad for you?"   
  
Images flashed through his mind, theatres he'd attended, the vampiress in Vienna running a troupe to ensure a steady supply of meals, of Cordelia's ambitions, of Rebecca the not quite as young actress that had seen him as an opportunity for immortality... "Acting is a job, and the people aren't any more or less dangerous than any other professionals. I've met a few bad apples, but there are also some very good people. And Willow and Cordelia are capable of dealing with things on their own."   
  
He found himself chatting with Gwen, smiling, feeling happier and more optimistic than he could remember feeling in a long time. Gwen was a delight. And if it weren't for that damned clause... or perhaps damning clause would be more accurate. He began to desperately hope that it was gone, or that Willow could find a way to get rid of it. Angel was starting to hope that he could have a life, maybe even be happy with someone that he could become very... maybe even try to find love.   
  
They chatted about the vast improvement of the props and special effects that the show used now as compared to the ones used in the original series, which Angel had caught occasionally. They continued, meandering around the set as they chatted, watching a few of the scenes get filmed.   
  
The other one, the woman who wasn't human was there, watching him. She had this odd quality to her movements, as if she wasn't very practiced at having limbs and joints that moved quite like they did. And her scent was wrong, a bit saltier, and not at all human. But she didn't seem to be trying any trouble. Not unless it was something to do with the man with the part of chief engineer. He had the definite impression that she was worried about him.   
  
Everything that he'd seen hinted at Gwen, Alex, and those two being in on some sort of big secret. Some strange thing that had bound them together, much like the group that had formed around Buffy had been bound together by their trials. He hoped that it hadn't been something so traumatic, or so dangerous.   
  
"Gwen? Have you seen Alex? We need him for the Departure reception scene, and he's not here." Jason Nesmith looked as if he was annoyed, but there was a barely detectable scent of worry to him. As if he suspected that perhaps something was wrong.   
  
Gwen frowned, suddenly worried. "No... not since earlier this morning. I thought... He should be here somewhere."   
  
Angel frowned, suspecting trouble. "I think... I think he was talking to Willow. Has anyone seen her? She needed to get her costume..."   
  
"This can't be good. You two go make sure they made it to wardrobe, I'll start checking the break rooms and closets." Nesmith sounded as if he was trying to take charge of the whole situation.   
  
The search was on. Angel just hoped it didn't take him near any sunny spaces. He had a suspicion that something was keeping them from being found, and he didn't think it was all some plot for a romantic interlude.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
Angel was really beginning to worry when he met up with Gwen again in front of the elevator. From the look on her face he could tell she'd had no better luck finding Willow and Alex than he had.   
  
"Well, they're not here. Perhaps they're still in the costume department." Gwen suggested.   
  
"Where is that?" Angel asked.   
  
"Next floor up, we can take the elevator and go check." Gwen replied as she pushed the button.   
  
For a few seconds nothing happened, prompting Gwen to push the button a few more times. Finally, the light flashed indicating that the elevator was on its way down. It didn't take long for the elevator to ding to a stop and the doors to slide open. However, Gwen and Angel were completely unprepared for the sight that met them when they did.   
  
"Oh. My..." Angel's voice sounded curiously stunned, and he struggled to resist the urge to grab Alex and yank him away from Willow. This didn't look like something Willow needed,  
  
"Uh, would you too like some privacy? Cause, you know, we could always take the next one." Gwen's eyes widened comically at the sight of her cast mate entangled somewhat intimately with the red head on the elevator floor.   
  
The four of them walked to the wardrobe department in an awkward silence.   
  
Gwen smiled in relief, running a hand through her hair as Angel lurked in the background, scowling at the pale gown. "The elevator got stuck? That's... better than a few of the things that crossed my mind. Explains why it didn't come up when I punched the button."   
  
Angel looked up, one finger barely touching the fabric of a pale gown. "You're supposed to wear this?"   
  
Willow could feel herself blushing. "Maybe... probably. And I do not need you to help me get into it. So, umm..." Willow licked her lips, considering all the things that could have happened. "It's great that you care enough to worry, but I need to get changed. I can do that without your help, Angel."   
  
She breathed a sigh of relief when they left the room, Gwen and Angel and Alex all slipping out with wary eyes. "Now, about this handmaiden outfit..."   
  
Closing her eyes, she reminded herself why she was doing this as she slipped into the pale gown, the hem falling to her ankles, cool fabric brushing her skin in a lightly tickling sensation. The glittering appliqués on the collar sparkled, looking almost like too much. She closed her eyes as the make up artist powdered her face, painting her eyes. Willow was almost afraid to look, certain that this felt like far more make up than she would ever wear on her own. Her hair was twisted into an elaborate style, secured by pins with gleaming false crystals.   
  
She felt better when she slid the sword out of the bag, the weight comforting in her hand. To her bemusement, the wardrobe lady even found a sheath and sword-belt for it that went with the outfit. She felt much better as she left the dressing cubicle, discovering Alex waiting for her.   
  
"To the stairs, my lady?" Alex had a small smile, one hand outstretched towards her.   
  
Smiling, she rested her hand on his. "I'd be delighted, kind sir."   
  
end part 17. 


	4. parts 18 to 20

author: Lucinda   
rating: pg 13.  
main characters: Willow, Cordelia, Alex Dane  
pairings: hints of Cordelia/Jason Nesmith, Willow/Alex Dane, Gwen DeMarco/Angel  
disclaimer; I own nobody from Buffy/Angel or from Galaxy Quest. There may be a few minor original characters.  
distribution: Bite Me, WLS, NHA, Twisting the Hellmouth, anyone else please ask, I'll probably say yes.  
dedicated to Rose, who I blame for the idea.  
note: AU post season 6ish for BtVS timeline, AU season 2 for Angel. Post Galaxy Quest the movie.  
  
  
  
  
Cordelia was getting most impatient. They had a scene to shoot, and there was the matter of the kiss that would be in it, and where was Willow anyhow? The had to be ready for the scene, and prepared for the scary thing that would be attacking them during it. And no matter how many times she'd been up against something big and dangerous, it still scared her, making her feel like she was trembling and shaking. She didn't want to be a coward.   
  
But the baffling part was that she was almost looking forward to the demony thing attacking. She knew how to deal with demons attacking, but she wasn't as certain how to deal with Jason Nesmith and the feelings he was causing. She had finally admitted to herself that she didn't hate him, and there was a lot more that he inspired than just annoyance. She was attracted to him, she'd finally admitted it. Not that it changed anything, or that it meant they had any chance of a future after this episode. She didn't want to consider how that made her feel.   
  
She was on the verge of pacing, her long gown brushing the tops of her feet, her hair swept up, held in place by a glittering tiara. Her ears felt almost pulled by the large glittering ear rings, and her wrists and throat sparkled with more false gems. They were definitely too much for any other type of setting besides the stage.   
  
She allowed herself a moment of delight. Even if it wasn't real, she was for the moment a princess. The absolute ruler of all she surveyed. Fabulously wealthy, powerful, confident. Yeah, the princess Mirabanna had a pretty good situation in life. She'd better enjoy it while she had the chance. And if she enjoyed the farewell 'Kiss of Good Fortune' that Mirabanna gave to Taggert, well, who had to know?   
  
Angel and Gwen came over, Angel looking unhappy about something and muttering to himself, while Gwen looked as if she was trying not to laugh.   
  
"Willow and Alex will be here soon. There were... delays with the elevator." Gwen went over to a nearby chair, still trying unsuccesfully to smother the giggles.   
  
Actually looking at Cordelia, Angel paused. "You're in one of those supposed to be a dresses too. Whose idea were they? That's not a real dress..."   
  
As Angel went to hover near Gwen, Cordelia let forth her own series of giggles. Seemed that Angel was not impressed with her wardrobe. Too bad for him. She rather liked the cut, although the fabric... well, it wasn't her top choice. But her overprotective boss was almost enough to make her ask if she could keep it, extreme ornamentation and all.   
  
Finally, after long enough that Cordelia had smothered her laughter, Alex and Willow walked in, Alex in full Dr Lazarus garb, and Willow... well, the pale gown looked good on her, even with the glittering sword that she'd brought along. And Willow seemed awfully comfortable with Mr. Dane, smiling, and...   
  
Cordelia could hardly believe her eyes. Alex Dane had just given Willow a kiss. True, it was only a light brush of his lips over hers, but... There was no reason besides him wanting to kiss her that could explain it. Maybe Willow's spell hadn't been too far off target after all...   
  
Willow was blushing as she made her way over to where Cordelia waited. "umm... I'm ready for the scene. The elevator... sort of got stuck. Sorry to keep everyone waiting."   
  
"And you were just bored silly waiting in the elevator? I don't think so... We're going to have a long talk after this is over with. Come on, I've been waiting impatiently to get this over with. All of it." Cordelia felt impatient, and she was actually looking forward to the demon attack that should happen while they were filming.   
  
Willow blushed, but looked her right in the eyes. "That eager to kiss Taggert goodbye? Let's go then."   
  
Now it was Cordelia that blushed, reminding herself that there was a reason they'd called Willow the smart one of the group. Not that she was an idiot, but Willow put things together and noticed behavior patterns. She'd just been hoping that Willow would miss that one. "It's... He's... Let's just do this, my handmaiden."   
  
They assumed their positions for the departure scene, with Nesmith looking at Cordelia, a certain smugness in his eyes as he leaned towards her and smirked. "Can't wait for this scene."   
  
Alex smiled at Willow, and whispered a single word. "Friday."   
  
Cordelia made a mental note to find out exactly what was supposed to happen on Friday, and threw herself into the role of Mirabanna. Nesmith then apparently decided to change one of his lines, throwing in an insinuation that they might welcome his ship's protection. She found herself ad libbing a bit to compensate. Something about how her planet was capable of defending themselves against any trouble that might arise.   
  
She'd immersed herself so completely in the character of Mirabanna that she almost missed the signifigance of a tiny flicker of orange caught by the corner of her eye. Spinning, she caught the sword that Willow had tossed to her, the metal and gems sparkling brilliantly, and faced the creature. Frowning, she realized that her vision hadn't covered the smell of the thing, halfway between wet leather and sun baked pond scum. Gross. "I do not need some vicious beast interupting MY ceremony!"   
  
Without pausing to consider the camera, she gestured imperiously for the men to move away from the snarling beast. They were entirly willing to do so, moving slowly in an effort to prevent it from attacking. The thing growled menacingly, a long, glistening trail of drool falling from it's curled back lips towards the floor.   
  
The next two things happened simultaniously, or at least pretty close to it. The creature lunged at her, and Nesmith tried to tackle the thing. It shook him off, sending him crashing into her throne, and the thing lunged towards her. A bolt of dark green hit the beast, stunning it enough that it was slowed. It lunged again, pushing one clawed hind foot into Nesmith, a roar carrying the stench of it's breath towards her. Cordelia flicked the sword out, slashing deep into it's side, causing orangish fluid to pour from it's side.   
  
"I am tired of interruptions to my events! Die already!" She swung the sword again, the thing leaping towards her only to fall to the ground as if it had struck a wall. She took advantage of that moment to lop it's head off, scowling at the now dead beast in anger and frustration. "Someone fetch a doctor at once! This man is injured!"   
  
That seemed to be the final clue to the stunned film crew, and the pandemonium continued, people screaming, some of them running. But they did bring a doctor, and someone was already checking out Jason for injuries. Willow seemed to be looking at the shattered throne, her face away from the camera as she hugged her arms to herself. Alex was looking at the dead monster, his expression one of horrified fascination.   
  
Reaching out, she touched Willow's shoulder. "How about we go have some coffee? It came, we killed it, the coffee will help you calm down."   
  
"yeah... coffee is good." Willow's voice sounded almost flat, as if she was trying so hard to reign things back that everything was pulled inside. Her eyes were pools of darkess.   
  
end part 18.   
Alex stared at the now dead thing on the floor. Leathery orange-brown hide covered the muscular body that was at least as big as a pony, and built more like a lion or a wolf. The feet had wicked claws, including the innermost, which was three times as large, and most likely ideal for shredding flesh from bones. He shuddered at the vivid mental picture THAT brought up. But something about it almost seemed familiar. Horribly, gut twistingly familiar. Except for the part about the orangish colored blood. Sort of a dark orange with a reddish cast, and the smell... between the smell from when it had been alive and the smell of it dead, his stomach was churning unhappily.   
  
"I think this is a Kreemorian Fangor beast?" His voice was a bit unsteady, and he was speaking more to himself than to anyone in particular. Jason had been taken away by the few people with medical backgrounds, in an effort to treat his hopefully minor injuries. Gwen was... not here, and none of the technical staff would know that he hadn't just spent too many hours in make-up. "But how could one of those have gotten here? I didn't even think those were real."   
  
He glanced up, seeing Willow staring at the dead thing, her arms curled around herself as if she sought to hold herself together. Her face was pale and expressionless, but her eyes... oh God, her eyes had turned black. Not bruises, but instead of the delightfully greenish sparkling eyes that he'd enjoyed gazing into were pits of shadow. Her back was to the camera, and her friend reached over, murmuring something about coffee. They left the small, wrecked platform that had been the set for the Princess' reception, heading towards the coffee table.   
  
He had now moved from afraid and confused to completely flummoxed. Willow and Cordelia had killed the thing which might or might not be a Fangor beast, and were now going to have coffee. As if this was a normal thing. But then why did Willow look so... He didn't have a name for the way she had looked. Not quite lost, not triumphant as he'd half expected, but... almost as if something inside had cracked? The idea bothered him.   
  
But it didn't bother him as much as the fear that there might be another one of those things around. Lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce on someone. He'd almost expect the stench alone to alert someone, but they hadn't noticed... Not until what would have been too late. But Cordelia and Willow had been able to fight it, had been able to kill it. Cordelia with a sword, and Willow... hadn't used a sword. She'd done something, gestured and it had been hit by this dark bolt. How could he figure out if there might be more? Who could possibly know anything about Kreemorian Fangor beasts? Glancing around, he saw Fred and Laliari sitting together, hands touching as they looked at each other with the most annoyingly sweet expressions.   
  
Numbly, he made his way towards the corner where Fred and Laliari were whispering to each other. Perhaps she would be able to identify it? Then they would only need to figure out how it had gotten here, and how Willow and Cordelia had stopped it. "Laliari? We have... a creature attacked the farewell reception shot. Could you... do you think you might be able to identify it? Whatever it was it clawed Jason, and the medical staff will need to know if there's a possiblity of poison."   
  
Fred's face paled a bit, and he rubbed his hand over Laliari's back. "Hopefully he's going to be okay? Maybe you should take a look at the thing, sweety. If they're sure it's dead."   
  
She looked up, her eyes full of questions. He almost thought that he could see her shape waver a bit, from human. As if the idea made her want to take back her true shape. "The creature is dead?"   
  
"Quite. It's head has been severed from the body. A most large and wickedly clawed body." He was certain that the thing had to be dead, after all, decapitation worked wonders. But if it had been just a few moments faster, or if it had caught them unprepared...   
  
Quietly, Laliari followed him to the body, her movements stiffer than normal. Tilting her body forward a bit, she studied the body, and looked for the head. "Ahhh. Kreemorian Fangor beast. Very dificult to kill. But what was one doing on the set?"   
  
"I wish I knew how it found it's way here. It tried to attack us. But Willow... and Cordelia, they were prepared for it. Somehow." He wished that he knew how they had been able to prepare themselves for the attack. They had seemed far to afraid to have planned it, but... how had they known?   
  
Laliari looked up, her eyes swirled with purple as she fought to keep her human disguise. Her voice held an odd sort of clicking undertone, as if parts of her were trying to change inside. "They aren't poisonous. They don't need to be. The good news - is that the right phrase? The good thing is that they are normally solitary creatures."   
  
"Solitary and non poisonous. Both of those sound very good. Thank you Laliari." He felt better, knowing that there wasn't likely to be another one lurking in the hallways. But... where was Gwen? Had it found her before finding them? Worry threaded through him, and he decided that maybe he should find her.   
  
He wandered towards the back halls, hoping that he could find Gwen. Hoping that she was alright. Maybe the delay would let him sort through what had just happened. How had they known? Where did Cordelia learn how to use a sword? Why had Willow's eyes been black, and how... she must have been responsible for that dark bolt of something, maybe energy? that had struck the creature. But, again, his mind returned to the question of HOW?   
  
Oh yes, he was not coping very well at the moment. It might even be accurate to say that he was freaking out. But he was doing it quietly.   
  
Turning a corner, he found the engine room set, with Gwen clinging to Angel, looking unharmed but shaken, her hair a bit mussed. Angel was talking to her, one hand rubbing circles a bit awkwardly over her back, clearly an effort to sooth her after something.   
  
"Should I ask what happened here?" His voice seemed terribly loud in the room. Had Angel's eyes flickered yellow when he looked up?   
  
end part 19.   
Gwen looked at Alex, still feeling worried and afraid and shaken. "There... it was... sort of like a rabid conventioner only worse. Much worse. I'm okay though. Angel made it... him go away."   
  
It was only then that she noticed how Alex seemed a bit too still, a bit to quiet. Something had rattled him, and she only hoped that nobody had been hurt. "Alex... what happened to you?"   
  
"It seems..." He swallowed, shaking his head slightly. "We were shooting the reception. We were attcked by a... Laliari said it was a Kreemorian Fangor beast. Large, leathery hide, and the smell... uggh. Willow... Willow and Cordelia killed it."   
  
Gwen felt like her stomach, which had only just recovered, had been yanked away again. Her knees went weak, which almost resulted in her falling to the floor, except that she was now leaning heavily against Angel. "Oh my... We just had.. there was this guy, all in green scales. With sort of a crest along his head... and his voice was really deep. I have no idea what sort of language he was using, but there were a lot of references to Tawny and Taggert and the Protector..."   
  
She closed here eyes, the scene replaying in her mind. She'd been walking with Angel, amused by his reaction to the costumes for his friends. They'd meandered around, which hadn't been a problem since all of her scenes for the episode had been filmed already. Then, they'd ended up in the section of mocked up corridor with the large smashing blocks. He'd stopped, looking at the set with something between bafflement and shock.   
  
"What in the world is that for? Smashing people into hamburger?"   
  
She'd snickered, remembering her terrifying encounter with the very same passage in the ship. "I'm not quite sure why we have those. It's supposed to be somewhere in the engines... the third corridor on the left. But I have no idea what they're supposed to do." She'd looked at him, smiling gently. "I just talk to the computer."   
  
That had been before a sound, like something scraping over metal had echoed into the area, and a shadow had loomed into the room. A strange shadow that wasn't shaped quite right. Something... it had reminded her of one of the aliens almost, in that she'd been suddenly convinced that this... thing... wasn't human, had never been human. Pale greenish yellow eyes that had reminded her of a snakes had looked at her, narrowing in a face covered with tiny green scales. The cheekbones were wider, the face broader and shorter than possible for a human, and the broad neck seemed little more than an extension of the shoulders. It had pointed at her, practically hissing something in a harsh sounding language. Had the creature called her Tawny?   
  
Angel had moved, putting himself between her and the... whatever it was. His posture proclaimed that the thing wouldn't be able to hurt her unless it went through Angel first.   
  
There had ben a noise from Angel, almost like a growl, and he'd said something back, in the same strange language.   
  
There had been several tense, mind wracking exchanges, making her really long for subtitles, or a handy computer that she could ask for a translation. Whatever the green guy was saying, it certainly seemed to be important to him, and he gestured, pointing to her as he spoke.   
  
"Angel? Whatever it is he wants, I don't have a handy computer here that I can talk too." She'd been afraid, uncertain what the creature was, what it wanted, and having no idea what it had been saying.   
  
Angel had sort of glanced at her, apparently unwilling to take his eyes completely away from the green man. "He's... I suppose you'd have to call him a disgruntled fan. He doesn't like the way the new series is going."   
  
"What?" The words had made no sense. This... creature was a fan? It.. he didn't like the storylines? "Exactly what part is he unhappy with?"   
  
Angel moved, his stance slightly less aggressive, but still keeping himself between her and the other. "He thinks there's not enough action in the new ones, and ahhh... he seems to think that Tawny Madison and Peter Taggert are supposed to be... involved."   
  
"Tawny and... Taggert? Involved? But... but... oh no. Can you please explain to him that I have no control over the scripts?" Her mind had been spinning. Wasn't this a bit extreme for a disgruntled fan? "Was he responsible for the power failures? And the computer?"   
  
There was a hissing noise, and the scaled man made a few more hissing words. A wild gesture of one taloned hand was apparently to add emphasis to his words.   
  
Angel nodded, and said something in response, his tone entirely calm.   
  
With a small jump, the creature's mouth gaped open, showing teeth that would make a shark jealous, and it then bolted from the room. Talons made noises against the floor, the sounds fading.   
  
Curiosity overpowered fear at a rate much the same as the fading of the talon sounds. "What did you say to him? Why did he go away?"   
  
Angel turned around, a small smile on his face. "I told him that if he stopped vandalizing the set and behaved in the future, he could get your autograph."   
  
That was almost too much, and she started to laugh and cry at the same time, clinging to Angel's shoulders as her whole body shook.   
  
Naturally, that was how Alex had found them. He seemed to find her story interesting and disturbing. Reaching out, he placed on hand on her arm. "Gwen... is there anything...?"   
  
He was still standing there, looking as if he was trying to find some words to sooth her when the sound of clicking against the floor returned. Green and scaly was back, a small book in one hand, a few pictures sticking out, and an ink pen firmly in the other hand.   
  
"My goodness... what... a most unusual fan you have, my dear collegue." Alex's words emerged slowly, as if it had been yet another unneeded shock.   
  
Alex had ended up signing the book as well, and they'd both put their names on the original series ensemble picture, his scrawl reading 'Alex Dane, the talented Doctor Lazarus' while hers read 'the lovely Gwen DeMarco, as Lt. Tawny Madison'. Watching the almost giddy reptilian creature leave, Gwen had just sighed.   
  
She looked at the two of them, feeling incredibly overwhelmed by everything. "Can I go home now? This has turned out to be an exhausting day."   
  
end part 20. 


	5. parts 21 to 24 the end

Cordelia sighed as she applied a coat of metallic gold to her toenail. Everything had been going so well, she'd had a part, learned her lines, coped well with Nesmith's ad libs, and even looked very impressive in her costume. It could have been the high point of her acting career so far. But then, that... monster had attacked. Yeah, she'd know that it would because of her vision, but it had attacked during her filming. Ruined her scene. So much for her chance of a return appearance... maybe even her chance for this one to actually make it onto the air. At least she'd already been paid. There was that much out of it anyhow.   
  
Although Nesmith was a really good kisser. She'd have those memories as well. Kissing a handsome man that wasn't an evil demon, the momentary illusion of power and wealth... There had been a few bright spots.   
  
Which reminded her, what was up with Willow and Alex Dane, and with Angel and Gwen DeMarco? Did someone need to have talk with Angel about that nasty clause?   
  
Putting her nail polish aside, Cordelia went to find Willow, certain that now would be a good time to figure out what had been going on between Willow and Alex Dane. After all, she was Willow's friend, it was practically her solemn duty to pry into things like that. Okay, maybe it was the sort of privilage of friendship that she took considerable delight in, but still, what else were friends for?   
  
Especially since she was certain that her... whatever they'd been doing with Jason Nesmith was over. They hadn't been dating, maybe flirting, but not dating. It probably didn't even mean much to him... And that idea made her feel partly miserable and partly furious.   
  
Opening the door on the room where Wilow was allegedly doing something called 'defragmenting' on the computers, Cordelia smiled at her friend. Willow was sitting on the floor, staring at some cables that lead into a tangle behind the desk. "So, Willow, what's the deal with you and Alex Dane?"   
  
"Deal? We... umm... I really sort of... Well, maybe it doesn't matter now." Willow's response was difficult to follow, and she sounded like she'd spent the night crying instead of sleeping.   
  
Settling on the single abandoned chair, she looked at Willow. "Care to try that again, with complete sentances?"   
  
Willow looked at her, her face pale and her eyes still darker than normal. "We sort of... kissed. Several times. And I really like him, Cordelia. When I'm with him, everything feels all warm and light inside, like there's... well, peaceful I guess. And his voice... it's just so tempting."   
  
"But... what about Tara? I sort of thought you were gay now?" Cordelia felt like something had changed, and she'd missed it.   
  
Willow sighed, moving the cables in her hands. "I... when I was with Tara, I thought that I was. But, she's gone. She'll never be back, and... I never stopped thinking that some guys looked really good, you know? I just... I didn't want the hassle of guy thoughts, which can be really confusing. And I hadn't met anyone that just... well, nobody made me think that maybe I wasn't so gay. Not until I met Alex. And the way he makes me feel... definitely not gay. But that might not matter."   
  
"Should I ask why not? Haven't we got you past that whole not knowing that you look good part?" Cordelia felt like screaming. The last thing they needed was for Willow to backslide into the shy girl that she'd been before they'd met Buffy.   
  
Willow gave a little chuckle, and a small smile. "Well, there's the whole killed a demon in front of him, which most people try to repress. And anything that would remind them of it. Plus... he saw me do magic, Cordy. He saw me looking all black eyed after the mojo, and that really scares people away."   
  
With a painful sigh, Cordelia slumped a bit in the chair, before remembering the rule about good posture. "Yeah, I can sort of see your point. The scary events are not good for your social life. But... what was that about Friday anyhow?"   
  
"We'd made some plans. He was going to take me out for dinner. Pick me up at eight from the set, go to this nice Italian place he knows... But that might not be on anymore." Willow's voice had this hopeful softness, tinged with worry.   
  
"Because of that thing. Sometimes, real life just sucks." Cordelia sighed, wondering if that would have an impact on her relationship with Jason before remembering that there wasn't a relationship. And she didn't think there would be one. Except... that part of her thought that they could have been good together. "Entirely changing the topic, what do you plan to wear for your date?"   
  
Willow blinked, lips parted. "But... but... what if there is no date anymore?"   
  
"How about this, we make you look good, and if you still have your date with Alex, he'll never forget the idea of Willowy goodness. And if he turns out to be an overgrown puppy, you'll be ready to go clubbing with me." She did not plan to spend the whole night moping about this.   
  
end part 21.   
  
Willow felt caught between anxiety, dread, and hope. Alex had planned to take her to dinner tonight, but... that had been before the orange demon had attacked during Cordelia's big scene. What if he'd decided that he didn't want anything to do with her now? What if he'd decided that she was some scary freak of nature? What if he was afraid of her now? What if...   
  
She'd worn something nice enough that she wouldn't feel awkward at the restaraunt, but not so fancy that she'd feel awkward while waiting. She was pacing a bit, worried that he wouldn't show up, worried that he would but only to tell her that she was some horrible thing that he didn't want near him, or... She had dozens of unhappy 'or's going through her mind. But this wasn't something that she could fix by worrying, or pacing. Or anything. She couldn't do anything else to determine if Alex Dane would show up, or if he would still want to spend time with her.   
  
But she really hoped that he did. She remembered the feeling of his lips on hers in the elevator. Remembered the scent of him, the feeling of his arm under her hand... She remembered how his voice made her feel warm and light inside. She remembered the way his eyes seemed to get lighter when he smiled.   
  
"You did come. I'd wondered a bit..." His voice rolled like soft velvet over her, coming from the doorway to the building that housed most of the sets.   
  
Willow turned, looking at him. "Why wouldn't I be here? I mean, it's not... oh, just... I'm not even managing to babble."   
  
Alex had smiled, placing one hand on her arm. "I wasn't certain that you'd want to come back, not after the Kreemorian Fangor Beast attacked us. You looked very upset..."   
  
Hope flared inside of her, maybe he wasn't planning to run screaming, maybe he wasn't terrified of her... "You looked pretty shaken by the whole thing too."   
  
"I wasn't so upset that my eyes changed color. What did you do to it?" He sounded curious, but there was something, almost like a slender barrier, a distance that hadn't been between them before.   
  
She felt the cold tendrils of worry and doubt grow a bit stronger. "Just... a little magic. And the eyes... wait a minute, a Kreemorian Fangor Beast? Isn't that something that was just... made up for the show?"   
  
"errr... Well... Some of the things on the show... a few things aren't quite as fictional as they are presented. It was a very real Fangor Beast. But... magic?" He sounded awkward, hesitant and almost embarrassed.   
  
Willow felt almost dizzy. "A real Kreemorian Fangor Beast? But... but... does that mean there's really a Protector? Really aliens? Aliens?"   
  
"You... aren't? I couldn't imagine how else you could have stopped the Fangor Beast. You and Cordelia... that just didn't seem normal." He sounded as if he was as confused as she felt.   
  
Willow managed a bit of a smile. "So... there are really aliens? And that orange thing was a Kreemorian Fangor Beast. Okay... sort of in the I'm still confused. Cordelia and I are both from right here in California, and both human. But... umm.... magic is real, and so are some other things that got turned into legends and fairy tales, although they didn't always get things right." Frowning, she remembered Hansel and Gretel, Oz, and so many other things from Sunnydale. "So, are you human then? Is Nesmith? Gwen?"   
  
"The three of us are quite human. As far as I know, all of the cast except for Laliari are entirely human. There.. it's a rather long story." He paused, tongue flicking over his lips briefly. "For now, let's leave it at aliens are real, they thought the original series were historical broadcasts, and we had a bit of a trip, and Laliari stayed here with Fred. But, magic? That sounds so..."   
  
"It doesn't sound that much weirder than aliens." She glanced down, and back up, trying to smile. "So... do we still have a date for dinner?"   
  
"Magic still sounds much harder to understand than aliens with their superior technology, sweet Willow. It will take a lot more than a few minutes to convince me of that. Maybe you'll be able to over the next few months?" He was smiling, his thumb rubbing over the back of her hand.   
  
Hope burned away the doubts, and she smiled at him. "Months, hmm? So, shall we start with dinner? And did they decide to keep the farewell reception even though... well, it didn't go as scripted?"   
  
"They liked it. Somehow, most of the people have convinced themselves that it was a complex animatronic that went a bit out of control, and have expressed hopes for Jason's swift recovery. Benny and Marty loved it. There might even be a return appearance of Mirabanna and her handmaiden being discussed." His smile made everything seem better.   
  
Willow smiled. Maybe everything wasn't ruined after all. "Cordelia will be delighted to hear that."   
  
He looked at her, questions dancing in his eyes. "What about you? Does that make you happy?"   
  
"Sort of, but not for the same reason. I didn't come to Los Angeles to make a career in acting. The whole stage fright thing. But... I'm glad that I might get more time with you."   
  
"I think that can be easily arranged." There was a pause. "I might be... there's a possible sub plot with Laz being a secret admirer for Tawny..."   
  
Willow smiled, wondering if he was afraid she'd be jealous. It must mean that he sort of cared what she felt. "Great! I mean, Cordy's let me know that more screen time is generally good, Laz could use someone to make him less alone, and anything would be better for Tawny than mooning over Taggert for the next three seasons."   
  
Alex laughed, and pulled her hand closer. "Shall we go to dinner now?"   
  
  
  
"That sounds wonderful." Willow felt as if everything had come together, as if there was hope for tomorrow. Hope that she wouldn't spend the rest of her life entirely alone.   
  
end part 22   
  
Alex had been worried, nervous that Willow wouldn't be there, wouldn't want to go to dinner with him anymore. She'd come to the set to fix the computer, and then been dafted into being in front of the camera, which had left her shaking. There had been nothing in the quick little contract that she'd signed about fighting a deadly monster that shouldn't have even been on the planet.   
  
What if she'd decided that he only brought trouble? What if she decided to retreat from the memories of the Fangor beast and him as quickly as possible? The idea didn't sit well with him, leaving him noticibly cranky the whole day. Gwen was still shaken by her most memorable fan, and as for Jason... Everybody put his foul mood down to being attacked by that 'rogue animatronic'.   
  
It was with trepidition that he went outside to see if she was waiting. At first, he didn't see her, and then a flicker of movement caught his eye. It was Willow, but not as he'd seen her before. Her hair rippled like fire, and her long legs were hugged by dark green leather, while a paler green blouse flowed over her breasts, the hem resting just over her hips, showing this thin peek at her stomach as she moved. She looked wonderful.   
  
Questions just seemed to tumble out, his worry that she wouldn't be there, his confusion over her eyes going dark... Was Willow some sort of alien? She certainly couldn't have been another Thermian, but that didn't rule out the possibility. Until she said the word 'magic'. Until she hadn't known that there was anything real to the Protector, about the Thermians, about the Fangor Beast.   
  
He'd never even considered magic to be real. Never considered it as a possible complication to his life. Was her not dating related to her magic? Would it prevent them from dating? Surely she wouldn't have accepted the dinner invitation if that would be a problem...   
  
But her smile when she'd said that dinner sounded wonderful... it was beautiful. Almost radiant, actually. That was a smile to go to war for, or at least to boldly go to dinner, despite the vast amounts of confusion and uncertainty that the whole idea of 'magic' inspired. She wasn't here for a film career, wasn't her to become famous... maybe she could be here with him?   
  
Granted, it didn't mean picking out china patterns, or even making certain that all the dirty laundry was tucked out of sight, but dinner... Dinner was a good start. It meant that she was willing to take a chance. That there were possibilities.   
  
He liked the idea of a future with Willow, even if it might be one filled with strange and unexpected things. Offering her one arm, he started towards the parking lot. "So... does this mean that you wouldn't panic at the idea that there are really aliens out there? That there might be aliens here?"   
  
She looked at him, her eyes filled with spinning thoughts. "The idea isn't that much of a surprise, I sort of knew that humans weren't alone. As for does it freak me out, not really. Does it bother me? In general no, in specific... I suppose it depends on what they're up to and what they eat. That Fangor... that bothered me. That was scary."   
  
"I would have gone more for terrifying, myself." He wondered what had happened in her life that that vicious beast was 'scary', not terrifying, not inducing a fit of panic.   
  
She shook her head, eyes downcast, sorrowful. "No.. it was a beast. Large, sharp teeth, it wanted to kill to feed. Nothing more. That's scary, but in order to be truely terrifying, well, it would either have to be a lot bigger, or a lot smarter. Generally, scary evil with big dark nasty plans is much much worse than just... you know, scaly and hungry. There has to be... I suppose you could call it an inner darkness."   
  
"It sounds as if you've given the matter a lot of consideration." He didn't like the implications of that consideration. How much had she seen to cause that thought? How many terrifying creatures, how many dreadful beasts?   
  
"Maybe too much consideration.... So... umm, aliens?" She looked at him, something like the shadow of tears making her eyes shimmer like pools of cool water.   
  
He gave a small smile, recognizing a plea to change the subject when he heard one. "Yes, aliens. They're called Thermians. Sort of shape shifters, although they normally looked like humans when we were there... I have no idea how they manage that. They watched the old series, and they thought that it was a historical broadcst, that we really had a ship, that we were highly trained heroes."   
  
"They... had a problem, and came looking for the heroes to save them, didn't they?" Apparently, she'd seem enough things in her life to guess that much of the story.   
  
"Yes." He swallowed, wondering how she could know, how she could have so much wisdom and sympathy in her eyes. How her eyes could look so old in such a young face. "We... managed to avert the crisis, but... there were deaths. We weren't heroes, we just... played them on the television."   
  
"Will they come back?" She rested on hand on his arm, her slender fingers looking so pale, so fragile. "Do they still consider you heroes?"   
  
"I don't know." He gave a feeble smile, trying to remind himself that he was here with a lovely woman. "Perhaps... that's enough somber words for tonight? We can discuss... Japanese food, and the possibility of dancing."   
  
"Hmmm... no discussing the end of the world or alien visitations... just a night out with a handsome man. I think I can do that." She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling.   
  
Perhaps this wasn't the decadent reenactment of any of his steamy fantasies, but it could be the start of something else. The start of a real relationship between himself and Willow. Someone that wouldn't look at him as if he'd escaped from an asylum if he mentioned his adventures; someone that could understand the pressures of people depending on you. Someone that he'd like to build a future with.   
  
end part 23.   
  
Angel sat at his desk, trying to look busy. He looked like he was brooding, most likely because he WAS brooding, again. Willow and Cordelia had both had quite the adventure on the set, something that he hadn't even known about until it was too late to help. They'd had to fight and kill a pony sized beast with fangs and claws, while he was talking to a disgruntled demon fan who was disappointed that Gwen's character wasn't involved with Taggert. Uggh. That had certainly made him feel... less than useful.   
  
He'd enjoyed talking to Gwen, found her interesting. Even though he'd been able to smell her worry, her fear at the demonic fan, she'd stood her ground, remaining the same beautiful and confident woman that he'd been fascinated by. He was well aware that he had a weakness for blondes, after all, there was Darla and then Buffy... both of whom had been immensely important in his life. But he didn't think Gwen was the same sort of person. She didn't have the predatory edge of Darla, or the almost paranoid athleticism of Buffy, and she most definitely was neither Slayer nor Vampire.   
  
Probably, he should stay far away from Gwen. She was nice, although not a desperately helpless sort of nice. She was charming and entertaining, and she had this incredible scent, almost like honey... He should definitely stay away. Especially with that stupid, horrible, vicious happiness clause in his curse. He couldn't pursue a relationship with Gwen, because if it went well, he might go evil and kill her. And her co workers, and his coworkers... No, he'd probably try to turn Willow and Cordelia. Maybe Gunn as well... Wesley would probably just die. All things considered, it would be best if he avoided Gwen in the future.   
  
He just didn't want to.   
  
Cordelia had said she'd be glad for the filming to end, to be away from Jason Nesmith. Except that he'd had well over two hundred years to learn how to read people, and he knew that even though she'd deny it, she was interested in the man. She found him attractive, and he kept her interest. He'd also managed to keep her on her toes, metaphorically, which was not the easiest of tasks.   
  
They'd argued a lot, and it had been good for Cordelia. She'd had a sparkle in her eyes, and a flush, sort of a glow to her skin that made her look deliciously beautiful. She might not have been willing to admit it, but she'd enjoyed working with him, enjoyed 'having' to kiss him. She wasn't entirely thrilled with the end of her role as a princess either.   
  
Willow and Alex... They were actually sweet. He'd been surprised by that, considering that Willow's previous loves had both been somewhat quiet people. But maybe it shouldn't have been such a shock - for all that Oz had been quiet, he'd also been in a band. Willow had been his biggest fan. The simple fact that she'd been willing to be in front of a camera to be with this guy... as well as that scene in the elevator... She was definitely interested in Alex Dane. And he was interested in Willow, at least, he had looked interested with his hands on her body and his tongue in her mouth like that. If he broke her heart, Angel would have to hurt him, and he knew several very painful methods... But that was beside the point. Beside any of the points.   
  
Hopefully, things would go well for Willow and Alex. Maybe Cordelia would have more contact with Nesmith... He definitely wanted more time with Gwen, even if it was unwise to let anything particularly... close blossom. It was probably unlikely that he'd see her again. Unless Cordelia's part as the Princess became a recurring character. Then, he would have the chance to see Gwen again... Oh yes, he would hope that the writers and fans liked Mirabanna. It would be good for Cordelia... And he'd like to see Gwen again. If it was on the set, then they couldn't be quite private enough to endanger his soul... which while frustrating, would be a good safety feature. And maybe Willow or Wesley could find some sort of soul anchoring spell...   
  
Willow had a dinner date with Alex Dane tonight. Perhaps they would have a future together. And just maybe, he and Cordelia would be able to find some company in their futures. Maybe Cordy and Nesmith could passionatly together, and maybe he and Gwen... well, best hope things didn't get TOO happy there. But he'd like a little something, even if all he could have for now was friendship.   
  
Perhaps this had changed things for them. Giving them new contacts, a breath of... well, fresh might be debatable, but different air. A different sort of case. Yes, the future would be different now, he was certain of that much. He could only hope that it was brighter, a future that was aimed towards the stars.   
  
end part 24. End With Special Guest. 


End file.
